Storm Boelo has brought amber wind warnings into force across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England, while Dublin Airport-linked travel faces the same weekend squeeze. The Met Office said the warnings began at 9pm on Saturday, with the strongest winds expected to peak from Saturday evening into Sunday.
Jason Kelly, the Met Office chief forecaster, said: “Storm Boelo will be felt across the UK this weekend, with the strongest winds and greatest potential for disruption in the north.” He said gusts of 60-70mph are expected widely in the amber warning areas, with 80mph possible in exposed coastal locations.
Met Office warnings at 9pm
An amber wind warning is active across Scotland and the north of England down to Carlisle from 9pm on Saturday to the same time on Sunday. A further amber warning runs from 9pm on Saturday to 10am on Sunday in the north-east of Northern Ireland. Those warnings sit inside wider yellow wind warnings that extend south into parts of England and North Wales and cover the whole of Northern Ireland.
Kelly also said the storm will be felt beyond the amber zones. “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.”
Storm Austen and fresh damage
Boelo follows Storm Austen, which brought strong winds to parts of the UK on Friday. Gusts of 76mph were recorded at St Mary’s airport in the Isles of Scilly, 74mph at Aberporth in south-west Wales and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall. Heavy downpours since 8am on Saturday produced 72mm of rainfall in White Barrow, Wiltshire, 43mm in Cwm Dyli, just south of the Snowdon range in North Wales, and 43mm in Inveruglas on the west shore of Loch Lomond, Scotland.
National Grid said power had been restored to 131,225 properties by Saturday at 7pm after hundreds of homes were still without power in south-west England. The Environment Agency had issued 58 alerts for spots across England where flooding is possible and 12 warnings stating that flooding is expected by 8pm on Saturday.
Jason Kelly on travel and power
Kelly said people should prepare for the potential for disruption, particularly to travel and power supplies. The practical risk for readers is front-loaded into the evening and overnight period: the amber windows begin at 9pm, the strongest winds are due from Saturday evening, and the north is where the highest gusts and heaviest rain are expected to overlap.
For people moving through Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England, the next step is to plan around wind, rain and possible service disruption through Sunday rather than wait for the worst conditions to arrive. Which specific travel routes or services will be most affected by Storm Boelo is not stated in the source.
