Hundreds of homes across Scotland are still without power on Wednesday, October 28, following damage caused by Storm Boelo. The storm brought 84mph gusts and a third of a month's rain to parts of Scotland, along with power cuts and travel disruption.
Storm Impact and Casualties
On Sunday, Richard Baines, 60, died after being hit by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway. Two women were also taken to hospital after being struck by another falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross.
More than 600 homes across Scotland remain affected by power outages as of Wednesday, according to Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN). The company hoped most of those homes would be reconnected by the end of the day, but said a small number may remain off supply overnight.
SP Energy Networks (SPEN) said all customers affected by Storm Boelo on its network were restored by Monday.
Reconnection Efforts
More than 30,000 homes across Scotland experienced power outages on Sunday after Storm Boelo hit the country overnight. The storm came shortly after Storm Austen delivered heavy rain to many areas on Friday.
As of Wednesday, SSEN said more than 110,000 customers have been reconnected since the start of Storm Boelo, and 500 engineers were working on Wednesday to reconnect supplies.
“We know it’s been a really challenging few days if you’re still without power, and we’re incredibly grateful for your patience and understanding,” Nik Wheeler, head of customer operations at SSEN Distribution, said.
“More than 500 engineers are working today to get your power back on, and we’ll keep doing everything we can to reconnect you as quickly and safely as possible.”
“We’re really grateful for the many messages of support our teams have received from customers and communities. They mean a great deal to our colleagues working in challenging conditions.”
“We’ll keep working until every customer is safely reconnected and continue supporting those who need us most in the meantime.”
Weather Data and Bridge Closure
Provisional Met Office data shows Storm Boelo saw wind speeds in some exposed areas reach the low 80s mph, while 134.4mm of rain was recorded in Ross and Cromarty.
Looking ahead, Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the UK would see a “big flip in the weather” over the next 48 hours, but said the calmer conditions will bring dense and stubborn fog threatening to disrupt morning journeys.
He said: “Come Thursday morning, some parts of the south and central parts of the UK could wake up to some fairly dense fog patches. They will be quite slow to clear.”
Renfrewshire Council has said storm damage has temporarily closed the Renfrew Bridge to road users. Extensive damage in one of the two operating plant rooms means the bridge will have to remain closed to road traffic for a number of months to allow Clyde river traffic to operate normally while the necessary repairs are carried out.
The electronic systems controlling the hydraulics on the Renfrew side of the bridge, which only opened to traffic last year, were significantly damaged in the incident.
Renfrewshire Council’s head of climate, public protection and roads, Gerard Hannah said: “We’re very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause all those who use the bridge.
“We have two operating rooms, one on each side of the river, which manage the opening and closing of the bridge. While one side suffered minimal impact from the high-water levels, the plant on the Renfrew side suffered significant damage to the electrical systems required to operate the bridge.”
“Urgent work is under way to identify the issues behind the damage and get the bridge back into action as soon as possible. We’ll keep the public updated with further details as the work progresses.”
