Environment Agency013WAFLIGtr Mancs Mersey and Ches
Lower River Irwell catchment including areas in Greater Manchester: flood history since 2007
The Environment Agency has issued 47 flood alerts for Lower River Irwell catchment including areas in Greater Manchester since 18 Jan 2007, most often in December; the busiest year was 2020 (7).
Flood alerts only
The flood area
- Flood area
- Lower River Irwell catchment including areas in Greater Manchester
- Code
- 013WAFLI
- Environment Agency area
- Gtr Mancs Mersey and Ches
- County
- Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford
- River or sea
- River Irwell
- First in the history
- 18 Jan 2007
- Latest in the history file
- 15 Dec 2025
- Current status
- check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk (the Environment Agency's live page)
Flood alert, flood warning, severe flood warning: what each means
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England); Environment Agency flood-monitoring API. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How many alerts and warnings a year?
Flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings (updates not counted), by year. 2026 runs to the end of June.
The numbers
| Year | Alerts | Warnings | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England); Environment Agency flood-monitoring API. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
When in the year?
All alerts and warnings since 2007 by month.
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England); Environment Agency flood-monitoring API. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Before July 2026: the latest in the history file
| Date | Level |
|---|---|
| 15 Dec 2025 | Flood alert |
| 8 Dec 2025 | Flood alert |
| 20 Sep 2025 | Flood alert |
| 6 Jan 2025 | Flood alert |
| 31 Dec 2024 | Flood alert |
| 23 Nov 2024 | Flood alert |
| 30 Sep 2024 | Flood alert |
| 1 Jan 2024 | Flood alert |
| 26 Dec 2023 | Flood alert |
| 9 Dec 2023 | Flood alert |
| 22 Jul 2023 | Flood alert |
| 18 Jun 2023 | Flood alert |
Source: Environment Agency, Historic Flood Warnings (England); Environment Agency flood-monitoring API. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.