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View towards Leeds city centre from Cabbage HillPhoto: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0
CHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Leeds · Environment Agency

In Leeds, heavy rain puts more homes at risk than rivers or the sea: 5.2%, against 0.8%

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. Leeds grades C for hazard risk: #55 of 91 in West Yorkshire.

2015worst recorded flood67flood warnings since 200696%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Leeds’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river5.2% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 0.8% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 2015Floodwater covered 253 hectares of today’s Leeds in 2015; 3,042 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.67 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Leeds the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 5 December 2024.Radon in parts30% of the city is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the radon action level.
By hazard

What Leeds faces

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

Rivers and the sea

0.8%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 65% of towns
3,553 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

5.2%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 71% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 0.8%

Past floods

7years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: February 2022
3,042 households inside past outlines

The River Aire

2.49 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Armley
30th-highest of 34 winters
Record 5.21 m, December 2015

Flood warnings

67flood warnings since 2006
199 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 5 December 2024

Radon

96%of the city in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 5–10% of homes
30% in squares 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

Leeds grades C for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (0.8%)Fewer than 35% 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 Leeds

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: 2000River Aire: 2002Recorded flood: 2004Recorded flood: 2007Recorded flood: 2015Recorded flood: 2020Recorded flood: 2022© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterLeeds’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Aire, the Bradford Beck and the Wortley Beck. Surface-water risk is spread across the city, in dips, underpasses and along small streams, which is why more homes are exposed to it.

Rivers and the sea

0.8% of Leeds’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 2.4% are at low risk.

High risk0.4%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more1,373 homes, EA count
Medium risk0.4%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 1002,180 homes, EA count
Low risk2.4%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0008,160 homes, EA count
Where Leeds sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%Leeds
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; Leeds has more than 65% of towns.

Towns its size: 12th of 31 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Southwark London307,0760%
2Newham London351,065under 0.1%
3Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear286,4720.2%
…
10Liverpool Merseyside506,5640.6%
11Ealing London367,2710.6%
12Leeds West Yorkshire536,2620.8%
13Sheffield South Yorkshire500,5200.9%
14Cardiff South Glamorgan348,5110.9%
…
30Nottingham Nottinghamshire299,7863.6%
31Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire270,8166.3%

UK towns of 268,000 to 1,073,000 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 6.3 times as many Leeds 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 water5.2%
Rivers and the sea0.8%
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 2.6% at medium risk: roughly 11,580 households. A further 6.6% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 71% of UK towns.

~11,580
households at high or medium risk
6.6%
of homes at low risk
71%
of UK towns have a smaller share
301,768
addresses read on the map

Our estimate: every address in the city (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

Leeds has flooded in 7 recorded years since 2000, most of all in 2015

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

  1. 2022February 2022: River flooding recorded1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · February Flood Incident -Storm Dudley, Eunice and Franklin
  2. 2020February 2020: River flooding recorded10 hectares inside today’s built-up area · February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis, February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara
  3. 2015December 2015: River flooding recorded253 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  4. 2007June 2007: River flooding recorded18 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Flood (Ridings Area
  5. 2004August 2004: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  6. 2002February 2002: The River Aire overflowed1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · River Aire. Leeds
Show all 7
  1. 2000October 2000: River flooding recorded48 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 2015253 ha

Floodwater covered 253 hectares of what is now Leeds in 2015, the largest flood the record holds here (December).

3,042 of Leeds’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 2015, the largest recorded flood inside the city covered 10 hectares.

River levels

The River Aire at Armley: highest 5.21 m, in December 2015

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Armley gauge, since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.29 m and 2.70 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 2.68 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 3.34 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 3.39 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 2.99 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 3.01 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 1.90 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 2.51 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 2.89 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 2.79 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 3.23 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 4.03 m on 31 October 2000 · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 3.46 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.98 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 2.31 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.97 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 3.83 m on 21 January 2008 · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 2.56 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 2.73 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 3.07 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 3.42 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 2.99 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 2.31 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 2.97 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 5.22 m on 27 December 2015 · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 2.52 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 2.82 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 3.25 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 4.13 m on 9 February 2020 · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 3.45 m · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 4.04 m on 20 February 2022 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 2.45 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 3.64 m on 20 October 2023 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 3.35 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 2.49 m · 0 days above the normal range’15–16’19–20’21–22Record 5.21 m, 2015Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 27 December 20155.22 m
  • 9 February 20204.13 m
  • 20 February 20224.04 m
  • 31 October 20004.03 m
  • 21 January 20083.83 m
  • 12 December 20153.81 m

The River Aire has topped its normal range on 109 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2019–20 and 2000–01. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 30th-highest of the 34.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Armley (station F1707), 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 Leeds · 67 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 26 flood warning areas and 4 alert areas reaching into the city; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Leeds (checked 8 November 2026, 19:16). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Leeds
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)

The warning area covering the most of Leeds, Wortley Beck from Far Royd to City West One office park, has not had a flood warning since 2006. Of the 67 warnings, 8 were for River Aire at Neptune Street - Canal and River Trust car park and 5 for River Aire at Kirkstall Forge.

2015 had the most warnings (24); 2024 the most alerts (26). The most recent warning was on 5 December 2024.

Show the 30 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
River Aire at Neptune Street - Canal and River Trust car parkWarning area8None
Wortley Beck from Pudsey Road to Butt LaneWarning area5None
Tyersal and Pudsey Beck at PudseyWarning area5None
River Aire at Kirkstall ForgeWarning area5None
Oil Mill Beck at Horsforth WoodsideWarning area5None
River Aire at Knowsthorpe, Thwaite Gate and StourtonWarning area4None
River Aire at NewlayWarning area3None
River Aire at Sovereign Street, The Calls and Clarence DockWarning area3None
Wyke Beck at Dunhills, HaltonWarning area3None
River Aire at Neptune StreetWarning area3None
Gledhow Beck at HarehillsWarning area3None
Meanwood Beck at Headingley and WeetwoodWarning area3None
Meanwood Beck at Buslingthorpe and SheepscarWarning area3None
Meanwood Beck at Buslingthorpe, Mabgate and Quarry HillWarning area3None
River Aire at Kirkstall Road and Wellington StreetWarning area2None
River Aire at Canal Wharf between Bridge End and Crown Point BridgeWarning area2None
Wyke Beck at Wykebeck Valley Road, GiptonWarning area2None
River Aire at St Anns Mill and the GoitWarning area2None
Wyke Beck at FearnvilleWarning area1None
River Aire at Central Leeds including Sovereign Street and Asda HouseWarning area1None
Cock Beck at StanksWarning area1None
Wyke Beck at Foundry MillWarning area0None
Wortley Beck from Stone Bridge Mill to Whitehall RoundaboutWarning area0None
Wortley Beck from Far Royd to City West One office parkWarning area0None
Wyke Back at Valley RoadWarning area0None
Wyke Beck at Neville RoadWarning area0None
Wyke Beck and Meanwood Beck catchmentsAlert area73None
Middle River Aire catchmentAlert area66None
Lower River WharfeAlert area55None
Wortley Beck CatchmentAlert area5None

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 Leeds are in radon Affected Areas, up to the 5–10% 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).

SE2136: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2233: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2234: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2235: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2236: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2237: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2238: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2239: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2330: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2333: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2334: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2335: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2336: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2337: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2338: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2339: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2340: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2430: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2431: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2432: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2433: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2434: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2435: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2436: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2437: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2438: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2439: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2440: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2530: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2531: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2532: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2533: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2534: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2535: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2536: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2537: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2538: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2539: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2540: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2541: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2630: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2631: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2632: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2633: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2634: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2635: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2636: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2637: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2638: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2639: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2640: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2728: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2729: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE2730: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2731: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2732: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2733: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2734: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2735: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2736: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2737: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2738: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2739: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2740: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2828: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2829: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2830: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2831: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2832: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2833: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2834: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2835: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2836: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2837: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2838: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2839: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE2840: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2926: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2927: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2928: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2929: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2930: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2931: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2932: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2933: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2934: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2935: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2936: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2937: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2938: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2939: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE2940: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE2941: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3026: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3027: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3028: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3029: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3030: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3031: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3032: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3033: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3034: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3035: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3036: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3037: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3038: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3039: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3040: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3126: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3127: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3128: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3129: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3130: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3131: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3132: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3133: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3134: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3135: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3136: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3137: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3138: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3139: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3140: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3141: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3228: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3229: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3230: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3231: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3232: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3233: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3234: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3235: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3236: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3237: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3238: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3239: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3240: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3241: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3329: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3330: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3331: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE3332: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3333: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3334: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3335: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3336: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3337: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3338: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3339: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3340: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3430: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3431: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3432: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE3433: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3434: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3435: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3436: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3437: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3438: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3532: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3533: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3534: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3535: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3536: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3537: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3538: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3632: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3633: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3634: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3635: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3636: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3637: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3638: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE3732: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3733: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3734: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3735: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3736: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3737: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3833: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3834: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE3835: 1–3% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%3–5%5–10%
Share of the city’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes4%
1–3% of homes38%
3–5% of homes27%
5–10% of homes30%

96% of Leeds’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 30% in squares of 5% or more, mostly on the south-west side of the city.

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 Leeds

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

Shadwell: Hazard risk B−Morley: Hazard risk BGildersome: Hazard risk APudsey: Hazard risk B−Rothwell: Hazard risk B+Scholes (Leeds): Hazard risk ABramhope: Hazard risk AShadwellMorleyGildersomePudseyRothwellScholes (Leeds)BramhopeLeeds
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Leeds536,2620.8%2.4%C
Shadwell1,4520.1%0.2%B−
Morley32,5620.1%under 0.1%B
Gildersome6,2780%0%A
Pudsey34,8530.2%under 0.1%B−
Rothwell20,9640%1.8%B+
Scholes (Leeds)2,2700%0%A
Bramhope3,5930%0%A

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

Be ready

Get ready for what Leeds 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.
  • Leeds’s warning areas include River Aire at Knowsthorpe, Thwaite Gate and Stourton and River Aire at Kirkstall Road and Wellington Street.
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 Leeds
  • 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 Leeds

Does Leeds flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the city was in February 2022. 0.8% 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 5.2% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Leeds grades C for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Leeds are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Aire at Neptune Street - Canal and River Trust car park, River Aire at Kirkstall Forge, Oil Mill Beck at Horsforth Woodside and Wortley Beck from Pudsey Road to Butt Lane. Surface water can collect in low spots anywhere in the city. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service.

When did Leeds last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the city run from 2000 to 2022 (7 years); the largest was in 2015. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the city since 2006, most recently on 5 December 2024.

Is Leeds at risk of surface water flooding?

About 2.6% of homes are at high risk and 2.6% at medium risk from surface water, against 0.8% 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 Leeds?

96% of the city’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 30% is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the action level. Most homes are below it; a three-month test is the only way to know.

Are there flood warnings in Leeds now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Leeds at 8 November 2026, 19:16. 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.