River Flood Maps: Extent, Depth, and Velocity for UK Return Periods

River Flood Maps (FRM_FH_RIVER_EXTENT_H) from the Government Digital Service provide flood hazard data for UK rivers. The dataset includes flood extent, depth, and velocity for high (10-year), medium (200-year), and low (1000-year) probability events, with a climate change scenario for the 2080s based on UKCP09 high emissions predictions. The return periods are selected for consistency with Scottish Planning Policy and observed events.

Use Cases

• Modeling flood inundation risk based on flood extent and depth layers.
• Assessing climate change impacts on river flooding using the 2080s high emissions scenario.
• Informing land-use and infrastructure planning based on return periods aligned with Scottish Planning Policy.
• Analyzing flood hazard severity by incorporating flood velocity data where available.

Strengths

• Includes three distinct probability scenarios: 10-year, 200-year, and 1000-year return periods.
• Provides multiple hazard layers: flood extent, depth, and velocity where appropriate.
• Incorporates a specific climate change projection for the 2080s using the UKCP09 high emissions 95%ile scenario.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Modeled flood hazard data based on return periods and climate projections.

Time Range

Climate change scenario projects to the 2080s.

Freshness

Last updated: unknown

Geography

United Kingdom, with specific mention of Scottish Planning Policy.