Two Storms, Three Days: 39,000 Still Without Power as New Wind Warning Looms

Storm Austen struck the UK on Friday 23 October 2026, bringing gusts of up to 80mph to south-west England and leaving tens of thousands without power. Storm Boelo followed over the weekend of 24–25 October, with gusts exceeding 80mph and heavy rain across northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Two people died after being crushed by trees toppled in the extreme weather: a man in his 20s in Mill Hill, north London, and another in his 60s in Dumfries and Galloway. More than 68mm of rain fell across the Scottish Highlands on Sunday alone.

By Monday morning, the Energy Networks Association reported that 39,000 customers in Great Britain were still without power, while 785,000 households had been reconnected. Earlier reporting put the number left without power by Storm Boelo at 160,000.

More than 100 flood alerts remained in place on Monday 26 October, including six warnings where flooding is expected imminently. In Wales, flooded roads, fallen trees and rail cancellations disrupted travel, with Michaelston Road in St Fagans, Cardiff closed in both directions and Transport for Wales services delayed, cancelled or replaced by buses.

A Jet2 passenger plane veered off the runway onto grass at Birmingham Airport on Sunday in strong Storm Boelo winds. No one was injured.

The Met Office has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for wind covering parts of Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 3am to midnight on Tuesday. Gusts of 50–60mph are expected widely, with 70mph or more in coastal or exposed areas. The warning cites travel disruption, building damage and a small chance of danger to life.

The sequence matters more than either storm alone. Recovery from Austen was incomplete when Boelo arrived, and Tuesday's warning threatens to interrupt it again. The gap between the 785,000 reconnections and the 39,000 still waiting is where the strain on infrastructure and emergency planning becomes visible — and where questions about compensation and insurance will outlast the weather.