Two people were killed and more than 800,000 properties left without power after Storm Boelo and Storm Austen battered the UK over the weekend.
Two men, one aged 60 and the other in his 20s, were killed by falling trees on Sunday, police said. The 60-year-old died in south-west Scotland while the man in his 20s was killed in London.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland 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.”
In London, the man was killed when a tree fell on to his car at 12.40pm as he drove through Mill Hill in the north of the city.
Ch Insp Guy Ellwood said: “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the young man who lost his life.”
Storm Boelo arrived in northern parts of the UK on Saturday evening and 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).
Power cuts hit 838,700 homes across Britain during the two storms. By 7pm on Sunday, 90,600 customers were still without power, said the Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents operators in the UK and Ireland.
Northern Powergrid, which distributes electricity across Yorkshire and the north-east, said on Sunday evening that 13,000 customers in the region were expected to be without power beyond Sunday night. The energy company added electricity had already been restored to 102,000 customers.
The Scottish government’s “resilience room” met to discuss the impact of the storm on Sunday afternoon, with 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 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.” (Delete)
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.
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 early on Monday issued 10 warnings that flooding is expected and 65 alerts where it is possible. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said 10 flood warnings and 11 flood alerts were in place, while Natural Resources Wales reported nine flood alerts were active at 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.
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.”
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