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ClonmelPhoto: Santista1982 · Public domain
D−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Clonmel · EPA, GSI and OPW data

An estimated 19% of Clonmel’s homes have radon above the reference level

Hazard risk puts Clonmel at D−. Flood isn’t counted for or against it: too few of its homes have the detailed ground heights the measure needs.

1 in 100flood scheme19%of homes over the radon level
In brief

What stands out about Clonmel’s hazards

From the EPA’s radon map, Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide map, the OPW’s flood relief schemes and our estimate of low-lying homes, below.

Flooding not measuredOnly 43% of Clonmel’s homes have detailed ground heights, too few to measure how many stand low by big water.Behind a flood schemeThe Clonmel (North & East) Flood Relief Scheme protects about 7.4% of homes, designed for a 1-in-100-year flood.High radonAn estimated 19% of homes are above the radon reference level: a higher share than in 91% of Irish towns.
By hazard

What Clonmel faces

Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.

Low-lying homes

Not measured
Too few detailed heights · 43% of homes
Check the official flood maps

Radon

19%of homes estimated over the reference level
more radon than in 91% of Irish towns
100% of homes in a High Radon Area

Landslides

1.3%of homes on high or moderately high ground
more homes on it than in 90% of Irish towns
Rated from the ground and its slope

Flood scheme

1 in 100the flood its scheme is built for
7.4% of homes behind it
Clonmel (North & East) Flood Relief Scheme

Ground heights

43%of homes on detailed ground heights
Too few to count flood (80% needed)
Of 7,940 homes counted
Not on this page: the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods (their licence doesn’t allow reuse here: see floodinfo.ie), groundwater and surface-water flooding, coastal erosion and industrial sites.
Hazard risk Grade

Hazard risk in Clonmel: D−

Radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes, each against Irish towns, then averaged.

Radon (19%)Better than 12% of Irish towns
Landslide ground (1.3%)Better than 12% of Irish towns
Low-lying homesNot counted: not measured here

Each figure is placed among Irish towns of 1,000 or more people; the grade averages the three, so a better place on each is a better grade.

Flood isn’t counted for or against Clonmel: too few of its homes have the detailed ground heights the measure needs, so its grade uses radon and landslide ground only.

Clonmel isn’t ranked for hazard risk: without a flood figure its grade can’t be set beside towns whose grade counts one.

Less sure: The low-lying figure is our estimate from ground heights and the river map, not an official flood map. It can show a town is low-lying; it can’t show a town is safe. No full LiDAR here (43% of homes): the rest of the heights come from a 30 m satellite model, which reads roofs and trees as ground, so this town’s figure isn’t counted.

Low-lying homes

How many of Clonmel’s homes stand low isn’t measured

Low-lying homes, a TownRatings estimate from OPW and Geological Survey Ireland LiDAR ground heights and the EPA’s river map: not an official flood map.

Flooding isn’t measured in Clonmel: only 43% of its homes stand on LiDAR ground heights, and the measure needs 80%, so flood isn’t counted for or against it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t flood.

A rougher estimate, mostly from a 30 m satellite model, puts about 9.5% of homes low beside the River Suir. That model reads roofs and trees as ground, so it misses low homes more often than it invents them.

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

River levels

The River Suir at Clonmel peaked at 4.00 m in December 2015

Each winter’s highest level (October to September) at the OPW’s Clonmel gauge, in Clonmel, since 1953, in metres above the gauge’s zero. Nine days in ten it runs between 0.21 m and 1.82 m.

Each winter’s highest level, metres
Winter 1953–54: highest 2.75 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 1954–55: highest 2.70 m · 30 days above the normal rangeWinter 1955–56: highest 2.24 m · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 1956–57: highest 3.20 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 1957–58: highest 2.80 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 1958–59: highest 2.31 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 1959–60: highest 2.49 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 1960–61: highest 3.35 m · 43 days above the normal rangeWinter 1961–62: highest 1.98 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 1962–63: highest 2.40 m · 20 days above the normal rangeWinter 1963–64: highest 2.96 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1964–65: highest 2.87 m · 18 days above the normal rangeWinter 1965–66: highest 3.13 m · 60 days above the normal rangeWinter 1966–67: highest 2.25 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1967–68: highest 1.99 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 1968–69: highest 3.36 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 1969–70: highest 2.21 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 1970–71: highest 1.98 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 1971–72: highest 2.69 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1972–73: highest 2.65 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 1973–74: highest 2.93 m · 47 days above the normal rangeWinter 1974–75: highest 2.52 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 1975–76: highest 2.66 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 1976–77: highest 2.32 m · 17 days above the normal rangeWinter 1977–78: highest 3.02 m · 31 days above the normal rangeWinter 1978–79: highest 3.16 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 1979–80: highest 2.72 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 1980–81: highest 2.31 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 1981–82: highest 2.72 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1982–83: highest 2.71 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 1983–84: highest 2.97 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 1984–85: highest 2.28 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 1985–86: highest 2.95 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 1986–87: highest 2.57 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1987–88: highest 2.80 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1988–89: highest 3.12 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1989–90: highest 3.43 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 1990–91: highest 2.35 m · 12 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 2.73 m · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 2.22 m · 10 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 2.87 m · 76 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 3.55 m on 11 March 1995 · 48 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 3.54 m on 7 January 1996 · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 3.30 m · 19 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 3.33 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 3.03 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 2.63 m · 12 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 3.77 m on 6 November 2000 · 41 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.61 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.00 m · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 3.77 m on 29 October 2004 · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 2.42 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.61 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 3.17 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 3.51 m on 31 January 2009 · 20 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 3.71 m on 20 November 2009 · 52 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 2.32 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 2.52 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 2.51 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 3.49 m on 6 February 2014 · 60 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 2.96 m · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 4.00 m on 30 December 2015 · 64 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 2.09 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 2.65 m · 30 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 3.24 m · 50 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 3.40 m · 45 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 3.20 m · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 2.78 m · 48 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 2.65 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 3.10 m · 55 days above the normal range’15–16’04–05’00–01Record 4.00 m, 2015Top of normal range
1953–542025–26
The highest days on record
  • 30 December 20154.00 m
  • 29 October 20043.77 m
  • 6 November 20003.77 m
  • 20 November 20093.71 m
  • 11 March 19953.55 m
  • 7 January 19963.54 m

Since 1953 the River Suir has run above its usual top on 1,802 days, most of them in the winters of 1993–94 and 2015–16.

Measured by its highest day, last winter (2025–26) was the 22nd-highest of the 70 on record here.

The OPW gives the bank-full level here as 2.40 m: above it the river spills out of its channel.

Source: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data), Clonmel gauge (station 16011): daily maximum and mean levels, inspected and provisional data. The usual range is the 5th to 95th percentile of daily means, worked out by TownRatings. Live levels are on waterlevel.ie.

Warnings

Weather and flood warnings for Clonmel

Where to see the warnings in force, and what this page can’t count.

Met Éireann issues yellow, orange and red warnings for rain, wind and coastal flooding county by county; Clonmel is covered by County Tipperary’s.

WarningWhat Met Éireann means by it
YellowWeather that isn’t unusual but can be dangerous in places: be aware.
OrangeInfrequent, dangerous weather that can put people and property at risk: be prepared.
RedRare, extremely dangerous weather: take action to protect yourself and your property.

Met Éireann doesn’t publish an open archive of past warnings, so how often warnings have covered Clonmel can’t be counted here.

Met Éireann warnings · OPW river levels (waterlevel.ie)

Flood scheme

2 flood relief schemes protect parts of Clonmel

The Office of Public Works’ completed flood relief schemes and the areas each one benefits (OPW open data, CC BY 4.0).

Designed for
1 in 100 years
the flood it is built to hold back
Homes behind it
7.4%
in the area the Clonmel (North & East) Flood Relief Scheme protects
Schemes
2
Clonmel (North & East) Flood Relief Scheme · Clonmel (West) Flood Relief Scheme
Protected places in the county
2
across County Tipperary, this town included

A scheme lowers the chance of flooding behind it; it doesn’t remove it. The low-lying figure counts homes behind defences too, so a defended town can still show a high share.

In County Tipperary, an OPW scheme also protects part of Carrick-on-Suir.

The protected places nearest here
TownSchemeDesigned forHomes behind itAway
Clonmel TipperaryClonmel (North & East) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1007.4%–
Carrick-on-Suir TipperaryCarrick-on-Suir Flood Relief Scheme1 in 504.3%20 km
Kilbarry WaterfordWaterford (Phase 2,3 & 4) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1000.3%41 km
Poleberry WaterfordWaterford (Phase 2,3 & 4) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 10012%42 km
Waterford City Centre WaterfordWaterford (Phase 2,3 & 4) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 10010%42 km
Waterford WaterfordWaterford (Phase 2,3 & 4) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1002.4%42 km

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

Landslides

1.3% of Clonmel’s homes stand on landslide-prone ground

Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide susceptibility map (1:50,000), read at every home.

Homes on ground rated high or moderately high

ClonmelCounty Tipperary’s medianmedian of Irish towns
High or moderately high1.3%
0%5%

That is a higher share than in 90% of Irish towns; the median is 0% for County Tipperary’s towns and 0% for Irish towns.

GSI rates ground from low to high by its slope, soil and rock. Most Irish landslides are on steep upland slopes and peat after heavy rain; a town on flat ground has almost none.

High means the ground could slide under the right conditions, such as days of heavy rain on a steep, wet slope; it isn’t a forecast that it will.

GSI landslide susceptibility, high and moderately high classes, share of the town’s homes on mapped ground (CC BY 4.0).

Radon

An estimated 19% of Clonmel’s homes are above the radon reference level

The EPA’s radon map: for each 10 km square, the estimated share of homes above the national reference level of 200 Bq/m³.

2.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes36% of homes estimated above the reference level · Over 20% (High Radon Area)6.3% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes11% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)15% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)16% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)17% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes20% of homes estimated above the reference level · Over 20% (High Radon Area)6.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes8.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes3.2% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes13% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)11% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)© OpenStreetMap contributors · EPA
Under 1% of homes1–5% of homes5–10% of homes10–20% (High Radon Area)Over 20% (High Radon Area)
Share of Irish towns in each band
Under 1% of homes17%
1–5% of homes38%
5–10% of homes26%
10–20% (High Radon Area) · Clonmel11%
Over 20% (High Radon Area)9%

A square where 10% or more of homes are estimated above the reference level is a High Radon Area; 100% of Clonmel’s homes are in one. The map is an estimate by area: two neighbouring houses can differ a lot.

100%
of homes in a High Radon Area
6.3%
County Tipperary’s median
4%
median of Irish towns

A test is the only way to know a home’s level: two detectors, left for three months in a living room and a bedroom.

EPA radon map of Ireland (10 km grid), averaged over the town’s homes (CC BY 4.0).

Industrial sites

2 EPA-licensed sites lie inside Clonmel

Factories, farms, power plants and waste sites that hold an EPA licence for their emissions, in Clonmel and around its centre.

2
licensed sites inside Clonmel
5
licensed sites within 5 km of the centre
1.2 km
to the nearest: Fair Oak Foods (Clonmel) Limited
The 6 nearest licensed sites
SiteLicence and activityAway
Fair Oak Foods (Clonmel) LimitedIPC licenceinside
John Ronan & SonsIPC licenceinside
Abbott IrelandIPC licence2.1 km
Bulmers Limited (Annerville)Industrial Emissions licence · food and drink3.9 km
Medite Europe Designated Activity CompanyIndustrial Emissions licence · wood, paper and textiles4.0 km
JMW Farms (IRL) LimitedIndustrial Emissions licence · intensive farming7.1 km
What the 6 licensed sites within 10 km do
ActivitySites
Not classed in the register3
Food and drink1
Wood, paper and textiles1
Intensive farming1

Within 5 km: 2 under Industrial Emissions licences and 3 under older IPC licences.

An EPA licence sets what a site may release to air, water and land; it doesn’t mark the site as an accident hazard.

Sites holding dangerous substances in bulk come under the COMAH (Seveso) rules, but the HSA’s list of them has no open licence, so upper- and lower-tier sites aren’t counted here.

Source: EPA registers of Industrial Emissions, IPC and waste licences, sites licensed on 31 October 2026; distances in a straight line from the town’s centre.

Neighbours

Hazards in the places around Clonmel

Low-lying homes, radon and landslide ground, town by town.

FethardCahirFethardCahirClonmel
TownLow-lyingRadonLandslides
Clonmel–19%1.3%
Fethard
1,738 · 12 km		–6%0%
Cahir
3,679 · 15 km		–6.3%0%

A dash under Low-lying: not measured there (too few homes with detailed ground heights), not none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Clonmel faces

What to do, and what to ask before you move.

When the river rises
  • Never walk or drive through floodwater: 30 cm of moving water can float a car.
  • Move valuables, papers and medicines upstairs.
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water if you’re told to.
Met Éireann warnings · floodinfo.ie
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • The EPA sells radon test kits at radon.ie and lists registered contractors who fix high readings.
radon.ie
When a storm is forecast
  • Bring in or tie down bins, trampolines and anything the wind can lift.
  • Keep away from coastal paths and piers while an orange or red warning is in force.
  • Charge phones and keep a torch: fallen lines are the commonest storm damage.
  • After the storm, report a fallen line to ESB Networks and keep well clear of it.
ESB Networks PowerCheck
Before you buy or rent in Clonmel
  • Ask whether the home has ever flooded, and get a buildings insurance quote before you commit: flood cover isn’t always offered.
  • Behind a completed OPW scheme? Insurers in Insurance Ireland agreed in 2014 to offer flood cover in those areas: ask for it by name.
  • Ask the seller or landlord for a radon test result, or test in your first months there.
  • Check the address on floodinfo.ie: the OPW’s flood maps and its record of past floods.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • An estimate, not a flood map. Low-lying homes is a TownRatings modelling step: each home’s ground height from LiDAR, against the level of the nearest big river (Strahler order 5 or more), lake or estuary within 1 km, or the sea within 2 km. A home within 5 m of the water’s level, or below 4 m near the sea, counts.
  • Flood counts only one way. A high share of low-lying homes lowers the Hazard risk Grade; a low share never raises it, because defences, small streams, culverts, groundwater and flash floods don’t show in ground heights. Below the national median a town scores as the median.
  • Defences aren’t counted. Flood defences aren’t taken off: the OPW scheme that protects the most homes is shown instead, with its design standard.
  • Measured where the heights are detailed. A town is measured, and counted, only where 80% of its homes stand on LiDAR heights. Elsewhere the page says flooding isn’t measured, never that the town is dry.
  • Radon is an estimate by area. The EPA’s radon map gives the estimated share of homes above 200 Bq/m³ for each 10 km square, averaged here over the town’s homes. It says where to test, not what one house holds.
  • The sea is measured by height. Homes count as low by the sea when their ground is under 4 m and within 2 km of coastal or estuary water; waves, surges and erosion aren’t modelled.
  • Landslide ground is a map of where slides could start. GSI’s susceptibility map rates the ground itself; it doesn’t record past slides or say when one will happen.
  • Bathing water is rated season by season. The EPA classes each identified bathing water from four seasons of samples; a rating says how clean the water has been, not how safe it is to swim.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on floodinfo.ie before you buy or rent.

Check any address against the OPW’s official flood maps on floodinfo.ie

Questions about flooding and hazards in Clonmel

Does Clonmel flood?

For a single address, the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods are on floodinfo.ie.

Is radon a problem in Clonmel?

The EPA’s map estimates that about 19% of homes around Clonmel are above the radon reference level of 200 Bq/m³: a higher share than in 91% of Irish towns. 100% of its homes are in a High Radon Area. The only way to know a house is a three-month test.

Is Clonmel at risk of landslides?

1.3% of Clonmel’s homes stand on ground rated high or moderately high for landslides. Most slides happen on steep slopes and peat after heavy rain.

How does Clonmel compare with the places around it?

Radon estimates around Clonmel run from 6% in Fethard to 6.3% in Cahir; Clonmel’s own is 19%.

How is Clonmel’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?

Clonmel grades D−: radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes are each placed among Irish towns, and the grade averages them.

Flood: TownRatings’ estimate from ground heights, not an official flood map. Contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the EPA) licensed under CC BY 4.0; Copernicus DEM © DLR e.V. and © Airbus, provided under COPERNICUS by the EU and ESA; © OpenStreetMap contributors. Radon and bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Landslide susceptibility: Geological Survey Ireland (CC BY 4.0).

Sources: low-lying homes: TownRatings’ estimate from GSI and OPW LiDAR, Copernicus GLO-30 and the EPA river network · radon: EPA radon map · landslides: GSI landslide susceptibility · flood schemes: OPW flood relief scheme benefiting areas · river levels: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data) · industrial sites: EPA licence registers · the grade: TownRatings, from these figures. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).

Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).