Brief

Storm Boelo to bring 80mph gusts and travel disruption across northern UK

Met Office warns of amber wind warnings and possible power outages as Storm Boelo hits the north of the UK this weekend.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:51:01 GMT

The Met Office has issued an amber wind warning for Scotland, the north of England down to Carlisle and the north‑east of Northern Ireland as Storm Boelo moves in on Saturday, with gusts potentially exceeding 80 mph, according to standard.co.uk.

What happened

Storm Boelo, the second named storm of the season, follows Storm Austen, which struck the South West on Friday and caused thousands of homes to lose power. The National Grid said engineers restored power to more than 60,000 homes after Austen. For Boelo, Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said the amber warning will stay in place "through tonight and into the end of Sunday" and that the strong winds could cause "widespread travel disruption" across Scotland, possibly northern parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England for the next 24 to 36 hours.

What the reports add

Standard.co.uk notes that Morgan expects ferry delays or cancellations and significant impacts on rail and road travel. He also highlighted that the weather will remain "very wet and windy" on Saturday, while much of England and Wales could see sunnier conditions on Sunday. The outlet adds that the Prime Minister warned on Friday of a potential "winter of greater flooding" and linked the storm to broader climate‑change trends, citing the summer’s severe drought and record heatwaves.

What was said

Tom Morgan told the outlet, "I’m expecting delays to ferry services, if not cancellations, perhaps some quite widespread impacts to travel on the railways and on the roads as well." He also said, "We do need the rain desperately, particularly in the south of the UK which faced the brunt of the severe drought this summer." Andy Burnham, attending a resilience summit, said, "We are having that conversation about resilience. That’s why we’re holding this summit today, it’s why we’re putting the guidance out to the public. We potentially are facing a winter of greater flooding, so it’s about recognising all of those risks and taking action."

How it came about

The storm follows a week of extreme weather, including record heatwaves and drought in southern Britain, which the Met Office and climate scientists have linked to human‑driven climate change. The government’s recent summit, attended by Burnham, aims to improve civil preparedness after the power outages caused by Storm Austen.

Key facts

Storm Boelo brings amber wind warnings for Scotland, northern England and north‑east Northern Ireland (standard.co.uk)
Gusts could exceed 80 mph locally, with travel disruption expected for ferries, rail and roads (standard.co.uk)
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan warned the warning will stay in place through Sunday (standard.co.uk)
National Grid restored power to more than 60,000 homes after Storm Austen (standard.co.uk)
Prime Minister warned of a potential "winter of greater flooding" linked to climate change (standard.co.uk)