GB News Breakfast hosts Stephen Dixon and Sophie Reaper interrupted the show to bring viewers a breaking update as Storm Boelo began to hit Britain. The second named storm of the season follows Storm Austen, which hit on Friday October 23, causing flight cancellations, train delays and leaving 31,000 homes without power.
Reporter Battles Conditions on Crosby Beach
Reporter Jack Carson spoke to the hosts from Merseyside's Crosby Beach, where a park run was still taking place despite the inclement conditions. Wrapped up against the elements as the wind battered him, he explained: "This is the second named storm of the year [with] 60 to 70 mile an hour winds in the kind of areas where we are this morning."
He continued: "This is part of the yellow weather warning, but as you go further north, that weather and those gusty winds are just going to get even worse. You're looking at the tip of Northern Ireland, most of mainland Scotland as well, covering that amber weather warning. That literally, essentially, means that there are a danger to life in some areas."
Timing and Impact of the Storm
Carson noted that the yellow weather warning in his location starts at around midday on Saturday October 24. "Essentially, it's coming in from the west, so Northern Ireland around this time, in about an hour's time, 10 o'clock in the morning, will be getting a lot stronger winds, and then it will eventually find its way to us over here in Crosby, where we are," he said.
He added: "So, people [are] being urged to [take] precautions, and...the Prime Minister saying that the resilience and that preparedness of the country needs to be increased. He...said...we are potentially facing a winter of greater flooding, and it's about recognising all of those risks."
Carson referenced a "be prepared" plan, with advice to have three days' worth of supplies to protect against severe weather and flooding. "You can see already the wind is quite strong, and this is well before that yellow weather warning comes into force," he said as he tried to open an umbrella to prove his point.
Met Office Issues Amber Warning
Storm Boelo is set to bring strong gusts of up to 80mph across large parts of the UK this weekend. The Met Office has issued a "danger to life" warning, including a rare amber wind warning covering several areas of Britain. The warning comes into force at 9pm on Saturday October 24 and remains in place until 9pm on Sunday.
According to the forecaster, Storm Boelo is expected to bring very strong westerly winds, with widespread gusts of 60 to 70mph and coastal areas likely to see gusts reaching 80mph. The strongest winds are expected to first impact western Scotland and the far north of Northern Ireland on Saturday evening before spreading eastwards overnight and continuing across other areas throughout Sunday.
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Mark Sidaway said: "Saturday morning will start dry and bright in the east of the UK, however further west rain and increasingly windy conditions will already be set in as people wake up for the day. This stormy weather will continue to move eastwards bringing rain and windy conditions to all of the UK."
"There are a number of severe weather warnings issued for Storm Boelo, including an Amber warning for all of mainland Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the very far north of England. Gusts could reach up to 80mph in places. More widely gusts will still reach 50-60mph and spells of heavy rain could also lead to some impacts. People should prepare by securing loose items outside their property, being ready in case of power outages and being aware of likely travel disruption."
