Flood Watch

Live flood warnings and river levels for Leeds — the Aire at Kirkstall, Armley and Crown Point, plus the becks that move first in a wet spell.

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River levels

Levels are measured against each gauge’s usual range — “above typical” doesn’t mean flooding, but it’s the first thing that moves when water is on its way.

Gauge	Speaks for	Reading	Level
River Aire at Kirkstall Abbey	Kirkstall Road corridor and the riverside path	1.515 m	Within typical range
River Aire at Armley	Armley, Gotts Park and the canal towpath into town	0.536 m	Within typical range
River Aire at Crown Point	the city-centre riverside — Brewery Wharf, The Calls, Clarence Dock	0.576 m	Within typical range
Meanwood Beck at Meanwood	Meanwood Road and the Buslingthorpe corridor	0.229 m	Within typical range
Wyke Beck at Halton	east Leeds — Halton, Killingbeck and the Wyke Beck valley	0.09 m	Within typical range
Farnley Beck at Pudsey	Farnley, Wortley and the beck through Pudsey	0.032 m	Below typical range

Each reading is metres on that gauge’s own scale, so compare a gauge with itself over time — not one gauge with another.

Worth knowing

The river is defended now — the becks are the live risk

After the Boxing Day 2015 floods the city built the £200m Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme in two phases, and both are finished. Phase 1, completed in 2017, protects the city centre from Leeds Station down to Woodlesford, with movable weirs at Crown Point and Knostrop that can be lowered to make room in the channel. Phase 2, completed in 2024, runs the other way — Leeds Station up to Apperley Bridge — with miles of linear defences, new pumping stations and a flood storage area near Calverley that holds the equivalent of 720 Olympic pools behind two gates. Together they protect about 4,000 homes and 1,000 businesses to a 1-in-200-year standard. What is left is the smaller water. Wyke, Meanwood, Wortley and Farnley becks still trigger most of the warnings in a wet spell, and surface water can flood low spots on roads anywhere in the district.

Get warnings sent to you

Flood warnings by phone, text or email are free — sign up at gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings. For advice during a flood call Floodline on 0345 988 1188. If there is a risk to life, call 999.