Storm Boelo continued to batter Greater Manchester for a second day on Sunday, with wind gusts of up to 65mph causing widespread disruption across the region. The area was under a yellow weather warning for wind, set to last until 9pm.
Flights Cancelled and Travel Warnings Issued
Multiple flights were cancelled and 'do not travel' warnings were issued as the storm brought down dozens of trees, blocking roads in Cheadle, Gatley, Heaton Moor, Burnage, Wythenshawe, Moston, the A627 motorway in Oldham, and on a house in Stretford.
Trees also came down on multiple railway lines, including near Hadfield in Derbyshire, between Wigan and St Helens, and between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street stations. Northern Rail advised passengers to avoid travel, stating: "We are unable to operate train services on a number of routes and are unable to provide replacement road transport." They added that tickets dated today can be used on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th October at no extra cost.
Metrolink services between East Didsbury and St Werburghs Road were also disrupted after a tree fell on the line.
Power Cuts and Restoration Efforts
A rest centre was set up at Ashton Leisure Centre in Ashton-in-Makerfield after damage to an electricity pole on Slag Lane left around 200 homes in the area without power.
Electricity North West reported dealing with 146 power cuts across the North West on Sunday evening, with three reported in Bolton, three in Wigan, and one in Oldham, Salford and Tameside. The company said its engineers had restored power to 'more than 30,000 properties across the region', with another 22,000 affected. It has set expected restoration times to 6pm on Tuesday but described this as a 'worst case scenario'.
"Teams continue to battle the elements as high winds and heavy rain have caused tree branches and debris to cause widespread damage to overhead lines in Cumbria and Lancashire," the company said in a statement. "More than 250 individual damages to the network have already been recorded as wind speeds have hit 78mph with gusts of up to 70mph expected until late Sunday evening.
"As wind speeds remain incredibly high, it is unsafe for overhead lines teams to climb poles and repair damage until wind speeds decrease. Engineers are working hard focusing on remotely switching affected supplies to other parts of the network to restore as many properties as possible, until the wind reduces."
National Impact and Fatalities
Nationally, the storm brought huge waves hitting seafronts on the Wirral, in Blackpool and the west coast of Scotland. As of Sunday evening there were 61 flood alerts and 12 flood warnings across England, with none active in Greater Manchester, although alerts remained in place along the Mersey Estuary near Warrington, and at Wallasey and Hoylake on the Wirral.
Police Scotland confirmed that a 60-year-old man died after being struck by a falling tree in the Castle Douglas area of Dumfries and Galloway on Sunday morning.
Winds are expected to ease throughout the evening, though more wet and windy weather is expected for Monday and Tuesday. More settled conditions are to return on Wednesday and Thursday, the Met Office said.
