Storm Boelo: Amber Alerts and Event Closures Hit Northern UK
Amber warnings ran from Saturday evening through Sunday across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, with gusts reaching 75mph.
By Jonathan Hoffmann ·
Amber weather warnings took hold Saturday night as Storm Boelo moved across the United Kingdom, bringing high winds, flight cancellations and event shutdowns.
The Met Office placed mainland Scotland and northern England down to Carlisle under an amber alert from 9pm Saturday to 9pm Sunday. A separate amber warning covered north-east Northern Ireland from 9pm Saturday to 10am Sunday. Yellow wind warnings extended further south into parts of England, North Wales and all of Northern Ireland. Gusts of 75mph were recorded at the South Uist Range in the Western Isles, and in the Highland and Eilean Siar regions. The Met Office forecast widespread gusts between 60 and 70mph, with exposed coastal areas potentially reaching 80mph.
Storm Boelo follows Storm Austen, which struck parts of the UK on Friday. Austen produced 76mph gusts at St Mary's airport in the Isles of Scilly, 74mph at Aberporth in south-west Wales and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall. National Grid said power was restored to more than 131,000 properties by 7pm Saturday, while hundreds of homes in south-west England remained without power. Since 8am Saturday, White Barrow in Wiltshire logged 72mm of rain, with Cwm Dyli in North Wales and Inveruglas on Loch Lomond each recording 43mm. The Environment Agency had issued 58 flood alerts and 12 flood warnings across England by 8pm Saturday.
Travel and events absorbed early hits from the weather. Dublin airport saw airlines cancel nine outbound and ten inbound flights as of 4pm Saturday, while six inbound flights performed go-arounds; five landed on a second attempt and one diverted before returning. Network Rail shared images of a trampoline and a shed near the tracks and asked residents to secure garden furniture. Visit Liverpool cancelled its River of Light event, the Diwali on the Square celebration in London was called off for Sunday, and Edinburgh Castle and the Fountains Abbey estate in North Yorkshire closed on Sunday. The Fountains Abbey site had planned a Fountains by Floodlight event.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said the storm would be felt across the UK, with the strongest winds and greatest disruption expected in the north. He advised staying indoors where possible to avoid flying debris and crashing waves, securing loose items outside, planning travel in advance and monitoring forecasts.
The amber warning for mainland Scotland and northern England down to Carlisle remains in place until 9pm Sunday. The north-east Northern Ireland amber warning expires at 10am Sunday.
