Back-to-back severe storms battered the United Kingdom on Friday, cutting electricity to thousands of households, canceling flights and prompting official warnings that the nation could face a winter of heightened flood risks.
Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, swept across the English Channel and struck southwest England and Wales on Friday, Oct. 23, bringing gusts of up to 76 mph at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly, according to the Ludlow Advertiser. Shortly behind it, meteorologists warned that a second deep low-pressure system, Storm Boelo, is set to sweep across Scotland this weekend, dumping heavy rain on saturated ground across the British Isles and western Europe.
Thousands left without power as Austen hits south
National Grid reported that more than 16,000 properties across southwest England lost electrical service on Friday morning, including roughly 5,000 customers enrolled on the company’s priority register for vulnerable households. Utility crews had restored electricity to about 12,000 homes earlier in the morning, utility officials said.
“We know how difficult it is to be without power, particularly during severe weather,” National Grid Electricity Distribution Chief Operating Officer Amy Webb told the Ludlow Advertiser, urging the public to avoid fallen power lines.
Cornwall County Council reported dealing with around 100 weather-related issues, mainly fallen trees, leading to at least nine roadway closures. More than 20 schools in the county closed completely, while more than 50 implemented delayed openings. Travel was snarled across the region as a downed tree blocked rail tracks between Wareham and Brockenhurst, and regional carrier Loganair grounded multiple departures linked to Exeter, Bristol, Southampton and Jersey. Seven flights were also called off at London Gatwick Airport because of adverse weather in the Channel Islands.
Warnings mount ahead of Storm Boelo
Speaking at a civil preparedness conference, Andy Burnham warned that the country must ready itself for increasingly volatile weather conditions, the Ludlow Advertiser reported.
“We potentially are facing a winter of greater flooding, so it’s about recognising all of those risks and taking action,” Burnham said, emphasizing the need for families to keep emergency reserves at home.
The Met Office put in place an amber wind alert covering Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly on Friday morning before Storm Austen began shifting eastward toward the North Sea. Forecasters have already issued another amber warning for wind from Storm Boelo, scheduled for a 24-hour window beginning Saturday evening. That alert spans Scotland, the northern coast of Northern Ireland, Cumbria and Northumberland, with gusts predicted between 70 mph and 80 mph in exposed coastal spots.
The Guardian reported that Storm Boelo will likely drop between 10 and 20 millimeters of rain widely, with localized accumulations reaching 30 to 60 millimeters across parts of Wales, southwest England and western Ireland. Network Rail Scotland said it planned to reduce train speeds through the weekend to protect passenger safety in areas hit by torrential downpours.
International toll of autumn storm systems
The stormy pattern extends across Europe and into Asia. Earlier this week, Storm Adam caused disastrous flash flooding in eastern Spain, where Pego recorded 632 millimeters of rainfall across 36 hours, according to The Guardian. The deluge resulted in at least five deaths, forced the evacuation of 2,100 people and triggered temporary movement restrictions for roughly 850,000 residents across Valencia and Alicante.
Meanwhile in Asia, Super Typhoon Champi tracked past northeastern Taiwan on Friday, packing sustained winds of 121 mph and gusts reaching 185 mph as it moved toward China and Japan, The Guardian reported.
In the U.K., rail operators and emergency officials say service disruptions will persist into Sunday as communities attempt to clear debris before Storm Boelo makes landfall.
