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DHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Warwick · Environment Agency

Rivers or the sea put 4.1% of Warwick’s homes at high or medium flood risk, and surface water 5.6%

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. Warwick grades D for hazard risk: #31 of 34 in Warwickshire.

1998worst recorded flood52flood warnings since 200618%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Warwick’s hazards

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

Remembers 1998Floodwater covered 12 hectares of today’s Warwick in 1998; 296 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.The River Avon ran its 7th-highest in January 20253.30 m at Warwick on 7 January 2025, 65 cm under the record set in 1998.52 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Warwick the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 27 February 2026.
By hazard

What Warwick faces

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

Rivers and the sea

4.1%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 88% of towns
663 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

5.6%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 74% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 4.1%

Past floods

6years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: January 2001
296 households inside past outlines

The River Avon

2.74 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Warwick
14th-highest of 35 winters
Record 3.95 m, April 1998

Flood warnings

52flood warnings since 2006
89 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 27 February 2026

Radon

18%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 1–3% 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

Warwick grades D for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (4.1%)Fewer than 12% 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 Warwick

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.

Recorded flood: 1939Recorded flood: 1979Recorded flood: 1985Recorded flood: 1992Recorded flood: 1998River Avon: 2001© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterWarwick’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Avon, the St Johns and the Fishers. 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

4.1% of Warwick’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 6.2% are at low risk.

High risk2.3%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more376 homes, EA count
Medium risk1.8%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100287 homes, EA count
Low risk6.2%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0001,088 homes, EA count
Where Warwick sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%
11%2–5%Warwick
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; Warwick has more than 88% of towns.

Towns its size: 178th of 196 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Hinckley Leicestershire50,7290%
2Crosby Merseyside50,2180%
3Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester48,5950%
…
176Bridgwater Somerset47,8464%
177Havant Hampshire46,9644%
178Warwick Warwickshire36,6734.1%
179Rickmansworth Hertfordshire26,2904.1%
180Caerphilly Gwent33,1044.3%
…
195Wisbech Cambridgeshire26,80043%
196Spalding Lincolnshire30,55284%

UK towns of 26,000 to 51,000 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

Heavy rain puts about 1.4 times as many Warwick homes at risk as rivers and the sea do

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 water5.6%
Rivers and the sea4.1%
0%7%14% of homes

About 2.6% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 3% at medium risk: roughly 910 households. A further 7.8% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 74% of UK towns.

~910
households at high or medium risk
7.8%
of homes at low risk
74%
of UK towns have a smaller share
20,070
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 history

Warwick has flooded in 6 recorded years since 1939, most of all in 1998

Every flood the Environment Agency has mapped inside Warwick’s built-up area, newest first. The record is fullest for big river floods; small and surface-water floods are often missing.

  1. 2001January 2001: The River Avon overflowedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · , River Avon
  2. 1998April 1998: River flooding recorded12 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn
  3. 1992January 1992: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  4. 1985January 1985: River flooding recorded9 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn
  5. 1979February 1979: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  6. 1939January 1939: River flooding recorded11 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn
The worst: 199812 ha

Floodwater covered 12 hectares of what is now Warwick in 1998, the largest flood the record holds here (April).

296 of Warwick’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 1998, the largest recorded flood inside the town covered under 1 hectare.

River levels

The River Avon at Warwick: highest 3.95 m, in April 1998

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Warwick gauge, since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.40 m and 1.46 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 2.36 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 2.79 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 2.90 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 2.63 m · 64 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 2.07 m · 49 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 2.00 m · 12 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 1.50 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 3.95 m on 10 April 1998 · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 2.49 m · 62 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 2.56 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 2.90 m · 107 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 2.01 m · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.80 m · 57 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.48 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 2.03 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.92 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 3.47 m on 21 July 2007 · 105 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 3.03 m · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 2.83 m · 53 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 2.27 m · 45 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.89 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 2.39 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 3.32 m on 26 November 2012 · 73 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 2.66 m · 79 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.76 m · 31 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 3.36 m on 10 March 2016 · 53 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.87 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 2.53 m · 47 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.71 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 3.14 m on 25 December 2020 · 62 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 2.01 m · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 2.23 m · 62 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 3.65 m on 3 January 2024 · 119 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 3.30 m on 7 January 2025 · 62 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 2.74 m · 85 days above the normal range’97–98’23–24’06–07Record 3.95 m, 1998Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 10 April 19983.95 m
  • 3 January 20243.65 m
  • 21 July 20073.47 m
  • 10 March 20163.36 m
  • 10 February 20243.33 m
  • 26 November 20123.32 m

The River Avon has topped its normal range on 1,671 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2023–24 and 2000–01. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 14th-highest of the 35.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Warwick (station 2091), daily maximum level; the record and normal range from the EA’s stage scale. Live river levels are on GOV.UK’s Check for flooding.

Flood warnings

No flood warning or alert is in force for Warwick · 52 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 5 flood warning areas and 1 alert area reaching into the town; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Warwick (checked 4 November 2026, 06:13). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Warwick
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)

Of the 52 warnings, 31 were for Gog Brook at Warwick and 10 for River Avon at Warwick. 2024 had the most warnings (18).

The most recent warning was on 27 February 2026.

Show the 6 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Gog Brook at WarwickWarning area31None
River Avon at WarwickWarning area10None
St Johns Brook at WarwickWarning area7None
River Avon at Guys Cliffe and EmscoteWarning area4None
Saltisford Brook at WarwickWarning area0None
Middle Avon Rugby to BidfordAlert area89None

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

Parts of Warwick are in radon Affected Areas, at the low end

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).

SP2662: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2663: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2664: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2665: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2666: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2762: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2763: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2764: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2765: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2766: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2864: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2865: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2866: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2867: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP2963: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2964: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2965: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2966: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP3062: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3063: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3064: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3065: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3066: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3162: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3163: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP3164: Under 1% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%
Share of the town’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes82%
1–3% of homes18%

18% of Warwick’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level).

The squares are indicative: each takes the highest band found anywhere inside it, so most homes in a coloured square are below it. Only a three-month test in the home gives a real answer.

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

Neighbours

Flood risk in the places around Warwick

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

Hampton Magna: Hazard risk ARoyal Leamington Spa: Hazard risk C+Leek Wootton: Hazard risk C+Whitnash: Hazard risk AHatton: Hazard risk ABishop's Tachbrook: Hazard risk ABarford: Hazard risk AHampton MagnaRoyal Leamington SpaLeek WoottonWhitnashHattonBishop's TachbrookBarfordWarwick
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Warwick36,6734.1%6.2%D
Hampton Magna1,6360%0%A
Royal Leamington Spa51,3210.5%4.3%C+
Leek Wootton1,0030.5%0%C+
Whitnash8,9140%0%A
Hatton1,9530%0%A
Bishop's Tachbrook2,0860%0%A
Barford1,4280%0%A

Warwick has more homes at high or medium risk than any neighbour in the table.

Be ready

Get ready for what Warwick 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.
  • Warwick’s warning areas include St Johns Brook at Warwick and Saltisford Brook at Warwick.
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.
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • New homes in radon areas are built with protection: basic from 3%, full from 10%.
UKradon ↗
Before you buy or rent in Warwick
  • 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.
  • Check radon for the address on UKradon.org (a small fee) or ask the seller for a test result.
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.
  • Past floods are what was recorded. The flood outlines come from surveys, aerial photographs and reports; many small floods, and most surface-water floods, were never mapped.
  • 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 Warwick

Does Warwick flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in January 2001. 4.1% 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 5.6% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Warwick grades D for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Warwick are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Gog Brook at Warwick, River Avon at Warwick, St Johns Brook at Warwick and River Avon at Guys Cliffe and Emscote. Surface water can collect in low spots anywhere in the town. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service.

When did Warwick last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 1939 to 2001 (6 years); the largest was in 1998. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 27 February 2026.

Is Warwick at risk of surface water flooding?

About 2.6% of homes are at high risk and 3% at medium risk from surface water, against 4.1% 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 Warwick?

18% of the town’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas. Most homes are below it; a three-month test is the only way to know.

Are there flood warnings in Warwick now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Warwick at 4 November 2026, 06:13. 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 Recorded Flood Outlines and Natural Resources Wales historic flood map, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Environment Agency Hydrology API (daily maximum river level) and flood-monitoring stage scales · 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.