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AHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Hale · Environment Agency

None of Hale’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea; 5.9% are from surface water

On the Environment Agency’s maps, which allow for flood defences, “high or medium” means at least a 1 in 100 chance of flooding from rivers or the sea in any year. Hale grades A for hazard risk: #1 of 81 in Greater Manchester.

0warnings in force0%at low risk
In brief

What stands out about Hale’s hazards

From the Environment Agency’s maps and records and the BGS radon atlas, below.

Rain, not the river5.9% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets; none are at risk from rivers or the sea.Low radonEvery 1 km square over Hale is in the lowest radon band: under 1% of homes above the action level.
By hazard

What Hale faces

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

Rivers and the sea

0%of homes at high or medium risk
None at high or medium risk
0 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

5.9%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 77% of UK towns
About 390 households

Flood warnings

0flood warnings since 2006
182 flood alerts for the wider area
Never warned

Radon

0%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: Under 1% of homes
No square of 5% or more
Not on this page: coastal erosion, subsidence and shrink-swell ground (the British Geological Survey licenses it), groundwater flooding and reservoir failure.
Hazard risk Grade

Hale grades A for hazard risk

Flood risk from rivers and the sea, against all UK towns.

Homes at high or medium flood risk (0%)Fewer than 86% of UK towns

The share of homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea, ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more: fewer homes at risk is better. Towns with none at high or medium risk are ordered by their share at low risk, so they don’t all share one score. Surface water and radon aren’t graded: they are described below.

Flood map

Where the water goes in Hale

Turn layers on and off. Blue is the risk from rivers and the sea; pink is where heavy rain collects. Both allow for flood defences.

© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterHale’s built-up area

No home in Hale is in the high or medium band for rivers or the sea. Surface-water risk is spread across the town, in dips, underpasses and along small streams, which is why more homes are exposed to it.

Rivers and the sea

0% of Hale’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. None are in the low-risk band.

High risk0%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more0 homes, EA count
Medium risk0%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 1000 homes, EA count
Low risk0%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0000 homes, EA count
Where Hale sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%NoneHale
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%
11%2–5%
5%5–10%
3%10–20%
2%20% +

Share of each UK town’s homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. 35% of UK towns have none.

Towns its size: 25th of 336 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Caterham Surrey22,7570%
2South Ockendon Essex22,4410%
3Reddish Greater Manchester22,1890%
…
23Swanley Kent17,2090%
24Bredbury and Woodley Greater Manchester17,0440%
25Hale Greater Manchester16,7160%
26Patchway Gloucestershire16,5170%
27Wymondham Norfolk16,3340%
…
335Dunscroft and Hatfield South Yorkshire14,00051%
336Goole East Riding of Yorkshire20,17394%

UK towns of 12,000 to 23,000 people.

The Environment Agency’s Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea (NaFRA2, June 2026) counts each postcode’s homes by band; the shares weight those postcodes by Census 2021 households. The EA counts include homes built since 2021.

Surface water

5.9% of Hale’s homes are at high or medium risk from surface water

Surface water is rain that falls faster than drains and the ground can take it. It is mapped separately from rivers and the sea, and it is not in the Hazard risk Grade.

Surface water5.9%
Rivers and the sea0%
0%7%14% of homes

About 3% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.9% at medium risk: roughly 390 households. A further 7.7% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 77% of UK towns.

~390
households at high or medium risk
7.7%
of homes at low risk
77%
of UK towns have a smaller share
8,014
addresses read on the map

Our estimate: every address in the town (ONS NSUL) read on the Environment Agency’s Risk of Flooding from Surface Water map (NaFRA2, 2025), each postcode’s share weighted by its Census 2021 households. Neither agency publishes a count of homes for surface water, so treat it as a guide; one street can differ from the next.

Flood warnings

No flood warning or alert is in force for Hale · 0 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 0 flood warning areas and 2 alert areas reaching into the town; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Hale (checked 12 November 2026, 09:19). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Hale
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Flood warning (flooding expected)Flood alert (flooding possible)
Show the 2 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Middle River Mersey catchment including areas near Bramhall, Stockport, Sale, Altrincham and UrmstonAlert area115None
River Bollin catchment, including Knutsford, Wilmslow, Macclesfield and BollingtonAlert area67None

Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings (first issues only, not updates; “flood watch” counted as an alert before 2011) and the real-time flood-monitoring API. Sign up for free warnings on GOV.UK or call Floodline, 0345 988 1188.

Radon

Hale is in the lowest radon band

Radon is a natural radioactive gas from the ground; long exposure raises the risk of lung cancer. The atlas gives the chance that a home in each 1 km square is above the UK action level (200 Bq/m³).

SJ7685: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7686: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7687: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7785: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7786: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7787: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7884: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7885: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7886: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7887: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7981: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7982: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7984: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7985: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7986: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7987: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8082: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8083: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8084: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8085: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8086: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8182: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8183: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8184: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8185: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8186: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8283: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8284: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8285: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8384: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ8385: Under 1% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%
Share of the town’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes100%

Every 1 km square over Hale is in the lowest band: fewer than 1 in 100 homes are expected to be above the action level.

BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon in Great Britain, version 3. Check an address at UKradon.org.

Neighbours

Flood risk in the places around Hale

Share of homes at high or medium and at low risk from rivers and the sea. Tap a town for its page.

Bowdon: Hazard risk AAltrincham: Hazard risk C−Wythenshawe: Hazard risk CSale: Hazard risk CGatley: Hazard risk BMobberley: Hazard risk AWilmslow: Hazard risk BBowdonAltrinchamWythenshaweSaleGatleyMobberleyWilmslowHale
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Hale16,7160%0%A
Bowdon6,1070%0%A
Altrincham49,6721.6%2.6%C−
Wythenshawe97,6651.4%0.8%C
Sale62,5450.9%2.6%C
Gatley9,149under 0.1%3.2%B
Mobberley1,3490%0%A
Wilmslow25,716under 0.1%0.4%B

Altrincham, 1.7 miles north, has the most homes at risk around Hale (1.6% at high or medium). Bowdon and Mobberley have none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Hale faces

Free warnings, what to do in a cloudburst, and what to check before you move.

Get the warnings
  • Sign up free for Environment Agency flood warnings by text, call or email.
  • Floodline: 0345 988 1188, 24 hours.
Sign up ↗
In a cloudburst
  • Surface water rises in minutes, often with no warning issued: stay out of underpasses and dips.
  • Keep the gullies and drains outside your home clear of leaves.
  • Report a blocked road drain to the council.
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.
Before you buy or rent in Hale
  • Check the address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service: it gives rivers and sea and surface water separately.
  • Ask whether the home has flooded or had a flood insurance claim; the TA6 property form asks the seller.
  • Homes built before 2009 can get flood cover through Flood Re, the government-backed scheme; newer homes can’t.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Defences are counted. Both agencies’ maps allow for flood defences and the chance they are overtopped or fail, so a town behind a defence scheme can show few homes at high risk and many at low risk.
  • Surface water is our estimate. Neither agency publishes a count of homes at risk from surface water, so we read each address on the map. A flat on a hill and a basement in a dip can share a postcode.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service before you buy or rent.

Check the long-term flood risk for an address on GOV.UK →

Questions about flooding and hazards in Hale

Does Hale flood?

0% of homes are at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea on the Environment Agency’s maps, which allow for flood defences. About 5.9% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Hale grades A for hazard risk against UK towns.

Is Hale at risk of surface water flooding?

About 3% of homes are at high risk and 2.9% at medium risk from surface water, against 0% at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. Surface water floods come with little warning, and the agencies don’t issue warnings for them.

Is radon a problem in Hale?

Not by the atlas: every 1 km square over Hale is in the lowest band, where fewer than 1 in 100 homes are expected to be above the action level.

Are there flood warnings in Hale now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Hale at 12 November 2026, 09:19. Live warnings are on GOV.UK’s Check for flooding service and Floodline, 0345 988 1188.

Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right 2026. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026.

Sources: Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea, postcodes in areas at risk (June 2026); Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales (May 2026); ONS Census 2021 households by postcode · Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Surface Water (NaFRA2, 2025) and Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales surface water and small watercourses, read at every address (ONS National Statistics UPRN Lookup, September 2026) and weighted by Census 2021 households by postcode · Environment Agency real-time flood-monitoring API · Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings (January 2006 to June 2026) and flood warning and alert areas · BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon in Great Britain, version 3, by 1 km square · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.