Storm Boelo is due to reach the United Kingdom on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. Yellow weather warnings will cover Scotland, parts of northern England and Northern Ireland as the system moves in during the weekend.
Chris Bulmer, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "Sztorm Boelo przyniesie w weekend silny wiatr i ulewne opady deszczu w Irlandii Północnej, Szkocji i w części północnej Anglii, uderzając w zupełnie inną część kraju niż wcześniejszy sztorm Austen". On exposed coastal areas and higher ground, gusts may reach 110–130 km/h, while a wider area is expected to see 80–95 km/h.
Met Office warnings in Scotland and Northern Ireland
The Met Office has placed yellow wind warnings on Scotland, north-east England, north-west England and North Yorkshire from Saturday evening to Sunday evening. A separate yellow warning will apply in Northern Ireland from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon, with the strongest winds expected there, in Scotland and in northern England.
Those warnings matter because the same system is arriving on a split schedule. The storm is expected to reach Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Saturday afternoon, then winds in northern parts of the United Kingdom are expected to strengthen overnight to 80–100 km/h.
Storm Austen moves away
Boelo is a separate low-pressure system from Storm Austen, which passed through southern parts of England and was expected to move away over the North Sea in the evening. That leaves the weekend impact focused farther north, with the sharpest winds lining up in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England instead of the south.
For people in the warned areas, the practical issue is the timing: the first yellow warnings begin on Saturday evening, not later in the weekend, and the Northern Ireland warning ends earlier than the others on Sunday afternoon. The remaining warnings stay in force until Sunday evening, so the period of greatest wind risk runs through the night from Saturday into Sunday.
Saturday evening warnings
The next change comes with the start of those warnings on Saturday evening, when the Met Office warning map shifts from forecast to active public guidance for Scotland, north-east England, north-west England, North Yorkshire and Northern Ireland. If the storm follows the current track, the strongest gusts will coincide with the hours when people are already moving across the weekend.
