Storm Boelo, the second named storm in as many days, has brought high winds and heavy rain to the UK, causing travel disruption, event cancellations and power outages. Thousands of homes in south-west England remain without power after Storm Austen hit on Friday, while the north braces for the latest system.
Recorded Gusts and Warnings
Maximum gust speeds of 75mph were recorded at South Uist Range in the Western Isles, Scotland, on Saturday, according to the Met Office, which has issued amber wind warnings and yellow warnings for rain. Gusts of 76mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport in the Isles of Scilly, with 74mph at Aberporth in South Wales and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall.
Heavy downpours since 8am on Saturday have brought rainfall totals of 72mm in White Barrow, Wiltshire, 43mm in Cwm Dyli near Snowdon in North Wales, and 43mm in Inveruglas on the west shore of Loch Lomond, Scotland. Gusts of 75mph have also hit the South Uist Range in the Outer Hebrides and 71mph in Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire.
Travel and Event Disruptions
Storm Boelo’s strong winds caused disruption at Dublin Airport on Saturday, where as of 4pm, nine outbound and 10 inbound flights had been cancelled by airlines due to weather issues. Six inbound flights performed go-arounds, with five landing on the second attempt and one diverting to another airport before returning.
Visit Liverpool announced the region’s River of Light event, featuring illuminated artworks, had been cancelled “in the interests of safety”. London’s annual Diwali on the Square celebrations on Sunday were also cancelled on independent health and safety experts’ recommendation. Edinburgh Castle and the Fountains Abbey estate in North Yorkshire, which was due to host its Fountains by Floodlight event, announced closures for Sunday.
Warnings and Flood Alerts
The amber wind warning, the Met Office’s second most severe, is active across Scotland and the north of England down to Carlisle from 9pm Saturday to 9pm Sunday. A further amber warning runs from 9pm Saturday to 10am Sunday in the north east of Northern Ireland. A yellow wind warning for parts of Northern Ireland came into force at 10am and will run until midday on Sunday, while a yellow warning for heavy rain covers Wales and parts of western and southern England until 11pm on Saturday.
The Environment Agency has issued 42 alerts for spots across England where flooding is possible. By 5.30pm, it had also issued six warnings that flooding was expected at New Brighton, Merseyside, due to high tides in the Irish Sea, and along the Cumbrian coastline and at Lee’s Bridge at Astley Bridge, in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Forecast and Advice
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said: “Storm Boelo will be felt across the UK this weekend, with the strongest winds and greatest potential for disruption in the north. Amber warnings are in place across mainland Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England, where gusts of 60-70mph are expected widely, with the potential for 80mph in exposed coastal locations. 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. People should prepare for the potential for disruption, particularly to travel and power supplies. Secure loose items outside, plan ahead if you are travelling and keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings for your area.”
Intemperate weather will return later in the week with a yellow warning for strong winds with possibly damaging gusts running from 3am on Tuesday to midnight. Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan previously said “we do need the rain desperately”, particularly in the south of the UK which faced the brunt of the “severe drought” this summer. Human-driven climate change disrupts rainfall patterns and drives more extreme weather events, which the UK also experienced this summer through successive record heatwaves. The Prime Minister warned on Friday that the UK could face “a winter of greater flooding” and said we are living in a world where “unexpected events” are “more and more common”. Andy Burnham denied the suggestion that the Government is playing catch-up with civil preparedness as he attended a summit organised to learn from the summer’s record wildfires, saying: “We potentially are facing a winter of greater flooding, so it’s about recognising all of those risks and taking action.” At one stage on Friday in the South West, 31,000 homes were without power, flights had been cancelled and part of the historic West Pier in Brighton collapsed into the sea.
