Flooding by nation
Flood risk in Northern Ireland: maps and reporting
Use Flood Maps NI to explore risk, weather and local updates to prepare for disruption, and the correct reporting number when flooding occurs. These services do different jobs.
Published: Updated:
Last checked: 8 November 2026 How we evaluate sources
Your next steps
Your flood-preparation checklist for Northern Ireland
- Check Flood Maps NI for planning, alongside Met Office warnings and local council and emergency-service updates.
- Keep 0300 2000 100 for reporting flooding. Call 999 or 112 for immediate danger.
- Agree assistance, safe routes and a backup destination before flooding starts; keep the plan on paper.
Choose the right service
Flood warnings and services for Northern Ireland
This guide explains what to do. It does not display live flood conditions. The warning and mapping services below open in a new tab, so you can return to your plan.
How to check flood risk with Flood Maps NI
nidirect directs residents to the Department for Infrastructure's Flood Maps NI. The service provides government flood-hazard information, including maps of areas that have flooded and modelled flood scenarios.
Begin with the place you want to understand, then read the map's layer descriptions and guidance. DfI distinguishes broad indicative mapping from more detailed hazard information. Different layers answer different questions; a coloured area is not a live report of water on the road.
Read what the Flood Maps NI layers show (opens in a new tab)
Flood maps are not a live-warning feed
For changing conditions, nidirect recommends weather information and local news and traffic updates. Read the Met Office warning for its timing and likely impacts, then check local authority and transport advice relevant to your journey.
Treat mapped risk as part of planning. Do not use a clear-looking map, the absence of a message or somebody else's social-media post as permission to drive through water. Choose a safe alternative or postpone the journey.
Report flooding on 0300 2000 100
Northern Ireland's Flooding Incident Line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff take the report and pass it to the agency that needs to respond. It is a reporting service, not an emergency rescue number.
When safe to do so, be ready to describe the location, what is affected and whether the situation is changing. Do not approach the water to gather extra detail. If someone is in danger, call 999 or 112 instead.
Read nidirect's flooding-reporting instructions (opens in a new tab)
Read probability as a planning tool
Flood Maps NI uses annual exceedance probability to describe modelled scenarios: the chance of a stated flood level being exceeded in a year. A description such as a 1% annual chance does not mean flooding happens once on a fixed hundred-year schedule.
Use this information to ask practical questions about your entrance, access routes and belongings. A property decision or protection scheme may need specialist advice beyond a map. The Flood Maps NI viewer's guidance explains the data and its limits.
Make a household plan before heavy rain
nidirect recommends preparing a kit and checking insurance. Build your kit around the people in your household: a baby, a pet or somebody with a care routine may need items that a generic list misses.
- Write down your council, insurer, utility contacts and the Flooding Incident Line. Keep a paper copy.
- Agree how to reconnect if people are separated and identify a safer place to meet.
- Keep essential medicines, a torch, communication supplies and documents together.
- Discuss where a vehicle or important belongings could be moved early, without entering water or delaying evacuation.
Read nidirect's flood-preparation advice (opens in a new tab)
If you need to leave or your home is damaged
Leave when emergency services instruct you to evacuate. Avoid flood water and electricity hazards. Return only when told it is safe.
If possessions or your home are damaged, contact your insurer for guidance before clearing damaged items. nidirect also points people towards local council support where applicable. Ask about your circumstances rather than assuming assistance or a payment is automatic.
Read nidirect's advice during and after flooding (opens in a new tab)
Questions about flooding in Northern Ireland
Is Northern Ireland's Flooding Incident Line the same as Floodline?
No. For non-emergency flooding reports in Northern Ireland, nidirect gives 0300 2000 100. Do not use the England, Scotland or Wales registration route as a substitute for Northern Ireland's local information and reporting arrangements.
Does Flood Maps NI show where it is flooding today?
The map viewer provides flood-hazard and risk information, including historical and modelled layers. Use current weather, local authority and traffic updates for a developing situation.
Should I call the incident line if somebody needs rescuing?
Call 999 or 112 when life is at risk. The Flooding Incident Line is for non-emergency reports and does not replace the emergency services.
Make your next step practical
Keep preparing
Evidence and service information
Sources behind this guidance
We develop our guidance using the sources below. Check the named organisation for current service details, live warnings and local instructions. Sources checked 8 November 2026.
- Check the risk of flooding in your areanidirect
- Flood Maps NIDepartment for Infrastructure
- Contents of Flood Maps NIDepartment for Infrastructure
- Reporting floodingnidirect
- Preparing for a floodnidirect
- What to do if a flood happensnidirect
- Weather warningsMet Office