The Met Office has issued a "danger to life" amber warning for wind covering 34 areas as Storm Boelo batters parts of the UK this weekend. The warning comes into effect at 9pm on Saturday and remains in place until 9pm on Sunday, with households urged to gather torches and batteries for 24 hours.
According to the Met Office, the strong winds could cause flying debris that may lead to injuries or danger to life. There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage, the forecaster explained.
What the Met Office says about Storm Boelo
The forecaster stated: "Very strong westerly winds associated with Storm Boelo are expected with fairly widespread gusts of 60 to 70mph and gusts to 80mph in exposed coastal areas. The strongest winds will initially affect western Scotland and far north of Northern Ireland on Saturday evening and then spread eastwards overnight and through Sunday."
"High winds will be accompanied by periods of heavy rain and frequent showers. Whilst high winds are expected across a wider area with a yellow warning in force, there is a higher confidence in impacts and disruption taking place within this amber warning area. The winds will gradually ease from the west through Sunday," the Met Office added.
How to prepare for power cuts
In the event of power cuts, the Met Office has issued advice on what precautions people can take to help best prepare and deal with the situation. Households are advised to keep torches and spare batteries readily available and ensure mobile phones remain charged in case emergency communication is needed.
During a blackout, keeping fridge and freezer doors shut can help preserve food for longer, while important paperwork should be stored somewhere safe and easily accessible. People are also being urged to check on older or vulnerable neighbours to make sure they have the support they need.
Safety advice and what to do during an outage
Safety experts recommend turning off appliances such as cookers, heaters and irons when the power goes out, as these could pose a risk once electricity is restored. Meanwhile, customers who rely on digital landlines and have poor mobile coverage should speak with their telecoms provider about alternative arrangements.
Anyone experiencing an unexpected power cut should first see whether nearby properties are also affected. If multiple homes have lost electricity, the outage should be reported to the network operator. However, if neighbouring properties still have power, the fault may lie within the home itself, such as a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse.
Areas under the amber warning
The amber warning covers the following regions and local authorities: Central, Tayside & Fife (Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling); Grampian (Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray); Highlands & Eilean Siar (Na h-Eileanan Siar, Highland); North East England (Northumberland); North West England (Cumbria); Northern Ireland (County Antrim, County Londonderry); Strathclyde (Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire); and SW Scotland, Lothian Borders (Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders, West Lothian).
