ResearchEnvironment Agency2006-2026
England's flood alerts and warnings since 2006
The Environment Agency issued 7,625 flood alerts and warnings in England in 2024, the most of any year since 2006 and 32% more than the next busiest year, 2023 (5,760). Of today's Environment Agency areas, West Midlands has had the most since 2006 (9,558 of 67,339).
The finding in numbers
7,625flood alerts and warnings in 2024, the busiest year
5,760in 2023, the next busiest
67,339since 2006
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England).
By year
Flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings (updates not counted). 2026 runs to June.
The numbers
| Year | Alerts | Warnings | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,644 | 552 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2,931 | 1,084 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5,110 | 2,510 | 5 |
| 2023 | 4,065 | 1,690 | 5 |
| 2022 | 2,128 | 570 | 14 |
| 2021 | 2,624 | 864 | 7 |
| 2020 | 3,536 | 1,892 | 22 |
| 2019 | 3,437 | 1,297 | 8 |
| 2018 | 2,317 | 463 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,897 | 360 | 24 |
| 2016 | 3,138 | 800 | 3 |
| 2015 | 2,507 | 960 | 101 |
| 2014 | 3,514 | 1,465 | 74 |
| 2013 | 2,646 | 921 | 73 |
| 2012 | 3,701 | 1,832 | 15 |
| 2011 | 1,088 | 163 | 0 |
| 2010 | 52 | 298 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 | 536 | 10 |
| 2008 | 0 | 1,077 | 44 |
| 2007 | 0 | 889 | 76 |
| 2006 | 0 | 293 | 1 |
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England).
By Environment Agency area (today's areas)
| Area | Flood areas | Alerts and warnings | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 363 | 9,558 | 33 |
| Yorkshire | 517 | 8,126 | 33 |
| Wessex | 275 | 7,728 | 26 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 174 | 5,986 | 49 |
| Cumbria and Lancashire | 251 | 5,371 | 81 |
| East Anglia | 272 | 5,345 | 63 |
| Solent and South Downs | 223 | 3,741 | 2 |
| East Midlands | 209 | 3,630 | 9 |
| Thames | 204 | 3,531 | 14 |
| Kent S London and E Sussex | 119 | 3,190 | 3 |
| Lincs and Northants | 178 | 2,029 | 33 |
| North East | 111 | 1,742 | 2 |
| Gtr Mancs Mersey and Ches | 167 | 1,607 | 4 |
| Herts and North London | 84 | 1,161 | 0 |
| No longer a flood area | 1,406 | 4,594 | 136 |
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England).
The flood areas with the most
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England).
Method and limits
By AreaZine. The finding and every figure are computed from the records when the page opens; the text is written with AI tools and checked against them (editorial policy).
Counts are the rows of the Environment Agency's Historic Flood Warnings file (England only), excluding updates to a message in force and the old "flood watch" level used before 2011. The file runs to June 2026. The Agency has redrawn and added flood areas over the years, so a count for an area reflects both floods and when the area was created. The file names the Agency's areas as they were called at the time, and the Agency reorganised its areas twice in the period; the area table groups each flood area under its area in the Agency's register today (flood-monitoring API, 1 Oct 2026), and flood areas no longer in the register are counted together. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not included.