A 60-year-old man has been killed by a falling tree and more than 82,000 properties have been left without power as Storm Boelo continues to batter Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.
The adverse weather hitting northern parts of the UK on Saturday evening was the second named storm in as many days, after Storm Austen brought strong winds to south-west England on Friday.
The Met Office said wind speeds widely reached 60-70mph, affecting areas in an amber warning zone that came into force at 9pm on Saturday.
The warning covered Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England, with gusts reaching more than 80mph in exposed coastal spots.
The island of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides was hit by 82mph winds, according to the forecaster, while wind speeds reached 84mph in Argyll and Bute and 83mph in Snowdonia (Eryri).
Approximately 53,000 homes in Scotland were still without power by 5pm on Sunday, according to updates from SP Energy Networks and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.
The Scottish government’s “resilience room” met to discuss the impact of the storm on Sunday afternoon, ministers focusing on the outages and how they were being restored.
Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, met senior politicians, emergency agencies and forecasters to discuss the government’s response, amid warnings that similar conditions would return early next week.
The storm has led to at least one fatality as Police Scotland revealed that a man had died on Sunday morning.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We were made aware of a 60-year-old man having been struck by a falling tree on a minor road at Mid Kelton at about 10.30am on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
“The man was pronounced dead at the scene. There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in due course.”
Engineers had restored power to 344,900 customers but 82,600 remained disconnected, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said on Sunday morning. The figure included more than 30,000 homes across Scotland.
The ENA said: “The networks have been focused on reconnecting customers this morning, though the continuing severe weather in some regions is limiting network engineers’ opportunities to safely start the work of restoring customers’ power today and access to certain areas remains difficult. Engineers are working around the clock to identify and fix faults.”
Train travel was disrupted on Sunday. Network Rail Scotland shared an image of flooding from the tracks to the platform at one Glasgow station, and fallen trees above the lines near another. Speed restrictions were in place across Scotland and several sections of its railways were closed, the operator added.
Network Rail shared images of a trampoline beneath a train and a shed by the tracks, and it reminded people living near rail lines to firmly secure objects in their gardens.
Some flights were diverted from landing at Leeds Bradford airport and others were cancelled.
The Met Office advised people in affected areas to secure loose items in gardens and to stay indoors as the storm posed a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves.
The Met Office chief forecaster, Jason Kelly, said: “Storm Boelo will be felt across the UK this weekend, with the strongest winds and greatest potential for disruption in the north.
“Amber warnings are in place across mainland Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England, where gusts of 60-70mph are expected widely, with the potential for 80mph in exposed coastal locations.
“Strong winds will also affect other parts of the UK, with gusts of 50-60mph possible in places. Heavy rain will provide an additional hazard, particularly in the north, bringing the potential for further impacts. People should prepare for the potential for disruption, particularly to travel and power supplies.”
Several events have been cancelled this weekend due to the inclement weather. Visit Liverpool said the River of Light event, featuring illuminated artworks, had been cancelled “in the interests of safety”, while London’s annual Diwali on the Square celebrations on Sunday were cancelled on the advice of independent health and safety experts.
Edinburgh Castle was closed on Sunday because of the high winds and adverse weather, while the Fountains Abbey estate in North Yorkshire was also closed for the day, after its Fountains by Floodlight event on Saturday evening was cancelled.
The Environment Agency had issued six warnings as of 1.45pm that flooding was expected for spots in northern parts of England, as well as 50 alerts stating flooding was possible. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said 17 flood warnings and 11 flooding alerts were active as of the same time.
Cumbria police said they had received a number of calls overnight to localised flooding and fallen trees blocking roads across the county, and urged motorists to drive with care while emergency services worked to clear the obstructions.
The amber warning sits within wider yellow wind warnings, which cover parts of England farther south, as well as north Wales and the whole of Northern Ireland.
Hundreds of homes were still without power in south-west England after Storm Austen hit the region on Friday, bringing 76mph winds to St Mary’s airport in the Isles of Scilly, with 74mph recorded at Aberporth in south Wales and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall.
Stuart Wilson, from Transport Scotland, said “significant recovery work” was required before the network returned to normal.
The Scottish social justice and housing secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said on Sunday: “Disruption to travel is likely to continue into tomorrow and I strongly recommend people check official sources such as the Met Office, Traffic Scotland, transport operators and local authority channels before setting out.
“While we expect some respite from the adverse weather during the day on Monday, there is a possibility of more severe weather conditions early on in the week and we urge everyone to continue to follow advice and heed any warnings.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
