Storm Boelo leaves 90,000 without power as Met Office issues new wind warning

Published26 October 2026, 08:27 GMT

A clean-up operation is under way in parts of the UK after Storm Boelo caused flooding and property damage, leaving thousands without power.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said around 90,000 properties are still without power as of Monday.

Two men were killed by falling trees during the storm on Sunday - a man in his 20s in north London and a 60-year-old in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for strong winds from 18:00 on Monday to 03:00 on Tuesday across the west coast of England, Wales and Scotland and eastern parts of Northern Ireland.

Another yellow warning kicks in from 03:00 across northern parts of Scotland.

The Met Office has warned that further power cuts in areas covered by the warning are likely and people should make sure they have essentials prepared, including torches and batteries.

Coastal communities could also be affected by spray or large waves, while travel delays are expected.

Boelo is the second storm to have hit parts of the UK in recent days, following Storm Austen which brought similar levels of disruption.

Leo Slade, CEO of the ENA said it had been "a tough weekend" and that efforts to reconnect some properties were being hampered by the weather, with sustained winds of 50-85mph across parts of Scotland and northern England.

"Until that weather system passes, we can't safely get engineers out to replace poles, to get wires back up, so today is going to be a hive of activity in getting engineers out into the field," Slade told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He stressed that the UK's power network was very resilient money was spent to prepare for these sorts of scenarios, but said a debate was needed over how much more investment was required to mitigate for further storms brought by climate change.

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Homeowners and local businesses are among those who have been affected by the power cuts caused by Storm Boelo.

Marcus Reed, the operations director at home fragrance manufacturer Wax Lyrical, said his factory and shop in Lyndal, Cumbria would be without power until Tuesday evening.

He told the Today programme that he has had to turn away employees and customers.

"To lose two days manufacturing and distribution is going to be really disruptive," he said, adding that it was bad timing as it was "the busiest time of the year" for his business in the lead-up to Christmas.

"This is probably the worst situation I've experienced in my time here; we've had ad hoc issues over weekends where we've lost power, but it's been contained within a 12-hour period. It's the first time anything like this has happened, it's very serious."

On Sunday, a man in his 20s was pronounced dead in north London after the car he was driving was hit by a falling tree. It came hours after a 60-year-old man died in Dumfries and Galloway, in western Scotland.

Disruption to travel continued on Monday, and some schools in Scotland have been shut either due to lack of power, heating, water or damage.

Another weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for later this week. The yellow warning of wind, external, covers much of Scotland, as well as parts of northern England and Northern Ireland from 03:00 to 23:59 on Tuesday.

In Scotland, Network Rail said the Crianlarich to Oban and Inverness to Wick and Thurso lines remained closed, but work to restore them was ongoing.

ScotRail said the "vast majority" of its services were running as normal.

West coast ferry operator CalMac said some of its services could be cancelled at short notice, while passengers on NorthLink Ferries are advised that there is the "possibility of disruption" to services until Thursday.

Monday morning will bring rain to many parts of south-west England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This will move quickly north-eastwards reaching central, eastern and northern England, as well as most of Scotland, by around lunchtime.

Winds will also strengthen throughout Monday, and it will turn even windier overnight as the area of low pressure passes close to Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland with gusts peaking on Tuesday.

While showers are forecast for Wednesday, conditions are expected to calm down midweek and most places will be dry by the end of the day.

Additional reporting by Ben Rich, lead weather presenter.

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