York Flood Risk
In York, 5,138 of 111,510 properties (4.6%) are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and the sea — at least a 1 in 100 chance in any year — per Environment Agency data updated 6 July 2026; that ranks 25th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in York by flood-risk band
| Risk band | Chance of flooding each year | All properties | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 3.3% (1 in 30) or greater chance in any year | 1,786 | 1,316 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 3,352 | 2,356 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 5,281 | 4,028 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 1,223 | 1,116 |
3,672 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 1,274 are non-residential. 439 postcodes in York have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across York
Counts are for the part of each district inside York.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in York
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 15 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in York since 1968; the most recent started on 20 Feb 2022.
1960s 1 1970s 3 1980s 1 1990s 3 2000s 1 2010s 3 2020s 3
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 2022 – 28 Mar 2022 | Storm Dudley, Eunice and Franklin | Main river | Overtopping of defences | YO26 |
| 28 Oct 2020 – 3 Nov 2020 | Hurricane Epsilon | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | YO23 |
| 15 Feb 2020 – 19 Mar 2020 | Storm Dennis | Main river | Operational failure/breach of defence | YO1 |
| 14 Mar 2019 – 17 Mar 2019 | Flooding Yorkshire | Main river | Not recorded | YO23 |
| 25 Dec 2015 – 29 Dec 2015 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | YO30 |
| 24 Sep 2012 – 29 Sep 2012 | — 8 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | YO10 YO23 YO30 YO90 |
| 30 Oct 2000 – 15 Nov 2000 | — 39 outlines | Drainage | Overtopping of defences | YO1 YO10 YO23 YO24 YO26 YO30 YO31 YO90 |
| 2 Mar 1999 – 16 Mar 1999 | Derwent Event 2 outlines | Not recorded | Overtopping of defences | YO19 |
| 28 Jan 1995 – 4 Feb 1995 | — 37 outlines | Main river | Overtopping of defences | YO1 YO10 YO23 YO26 YO30 YO31 YO32 YO90 |
| 21 Feb 1991 – 27 Feb 1991 | — 12 outlines | Not recorded | Overtopping of defences | YO1 YO10 YO19 YO23 YO26 YO30 |
| 3 Jan 1982 – 16 Jan 1982 | — 8 outlines | Not recorded | Overtopping of defences | YO1 YO19 YO23 YO26 YO30 YO90 |
| 24 Dec 1978 – 31 Dec 1978 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | YO1 |
| 1 Dec 1978 – 31 Dec 1978 | — 49 outlines | Not recorded | Overtopping of defences | YO1 YO10 YO19 YO23 YO24 YO26 YO30 YO31 YO90 |
| 1 Jan 1977 – 31 Dec 1977 | — 14 outlines | Not recorded | Overtopping of defences | YO19 YO26 |
| 24 Mar 1968 – 26 Mar 1968 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | YO26 |
What this page shows, and what it misses
The Environment Agency's count of properties in each postcode that sit in areas of land at very low, low, medium or high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, allowing for flood defences and their condition, added up here by postcode district and local authority. Every property in England is counted once, so the share is of all properties in the area.
It misses: surface water (heavy rain), groundwater, sewer and reservoir flooding; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and anything about a single building. A band describes the land a property stands on, not its floor level or flood protection, so it is not a forecast for any one home. Past floods come from the EA's Recorded Flood Outlines and are placed in the postcode district whose centre is nearest (within 12 km), so a flood near a boundary can be listed under a neighbour. Older records are patchy, and a flood with no outline is not listed.
"York" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000014), not only the town centre.
If you live in York
- Check your own address on gov.uk; it also covers surface water.
- Sign up for free flood warnings: gov.uk/get-flood-warnings. Floodline: 0345 988 1188.
- What is in force now: flood warnings UK · river levels.
- Never walk or drive through flood water: why shallow water kills.
FAQQuestions people ask
Is York at risk of flooding?
In York, 5,138 of 111,510 properties (4.6%) are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and the sea — at least a 1 in 100 chance in any year — per Environment Agency data updated 6 July 2026; that ranks 25th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of York have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district YO1 has the most: 2,062 properties at high or medium risk (29.0% of its properties in York). The table on this page lists every district.
When did York last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 15 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in York since 1968; the most recent started on 20 Feb 2022.
Does this include surface water flooding?
No. These counts cover flooding from rivers and the sea only. Surface water (heavy rain) flooding affects more properties in England; check it for one address on gov.uk's long-term flood risk service.
Flood risk counts: Environment Agency, Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea – Postcodes in Areas at Risk and Recorded Flood Outlines, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. All rights reserved. Some features of this information are based on digital spatial data from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, © NERC (CEH). © Crown Copyright and Database Rights 2025 OS AC0000807064. This product is produced in part from PAF® and Multiple Residence Data, the copyright in which is owned by Royal Mail Group Limited and/or Royal Mail Group plc. All rights reserved. Licence number AC0000807064.
Local authority of each postcode: Office for National Statistics postcode lookup (May 2026), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. District centres and place names: postcodes.io (ONS/OS open data). Totals, ranks and grouping are Global Incident Tracker's own calculations; the Environment Agency does not endorse them.