On a late October weekend, two storms moving in quick succession across the British Isles reminded a country how thin the margin is between ordinary life and the weather's reach. A man in his sixties was struck by a falling tree on a quiet road in south-west Scotland, and a young man was killed when a tree crashed onto his car in north London, while hundreds of thousands of households sat in the dark. The deaths and the outages belong to a familiar human story of wind, infrastructure, and the patient work of repair, now unfolding as officials prepare for another round of storms early in the co
Two dead and 800,000 homes without power as Storm Boelo lashes the UK
Two men were killed by falling trees, one aged 60 in south-west Scotland and one in his 20s in London, and hundreds of thousands of homes lost power.
Two men killed by falling trees, hours and hundreds of miles apart
Mark
Two deaths, but the number everyone is repeating is 838,700. Why that one?
Mimi
Because it shows how widely the storms reached. Those were homes across Britain losing power over two storms, from Yorkshire to the Highlands.
Luke
Worth being exact, though. That 838,700 is the total cut off across both storms. The current figure is 90,600 as of 7pm Sunday, from the Energy Networks Association.
Mark
And the two men who died, was there any connection between the cases?
Mimi
Only the cause. One was on a minor road at Mid Kelton, the other in his car in Mill Hill, a few hours apart and hundreds of miles away.
Luke
Police have said there were no suspicious circumstances in the Scottish case. Beyond the tree falls, we're told little about either man.
Mark
The wind speeds seem to vary a lot. 84mph in Argyll and Bute, 60-70mph elsewhere.
Mimi
The higher gusts were in exposed coastal places. The widespread winds were lower, but still enough to bring trees down.
Luke
Those are Met Office readings at particular sites, not a measure of every place. Gusts inland may have differed.
Mark
What should readers watch next?
Mimi
Monday should bring some respite, but Scottish ministers say more severe weather could return early in the week.
Luke
That's a possibility, not a forecast of certainty. The reporting doesn't say how severe or where.
The Pulse
- Two men died within hours of each other as trees toppled onto a roadside in Scotland and a car in London.
- Gusts reaching 84mph in Argyll and Bute rattled the north while amber warnings put communities on alert.
- More than 838,000 homes lost power, and engineers are racing against lingering storm conditions to reconnect them.
- Flood warnings, cancelled events, and disrupted rail and flights spread the storm's reach across the country.
- Officials warn that more severe weather could return early next week, leaving the situation still unsettled.
On a late October weekend, two storms moving in quick succession across the British Isles reminded a country how thin the margin is between ordinary life and the weather's reach. A man in his sixties was struck by a falling tree on a quiet road in south-west Scotland, and a young man was killed when a tree crashed onto his car in north London, while hundreds of thousands of households sat in the dark. The deaths and the outages belong to a familiar human story of wind, infrastructure, and the patient work of repair, now unfolding as officials prepare for another round of storms early in the coming week.
At about half past ten on Sunday morning, on a narrow road at Mid Kelton in south-west Scotland, a 60-year-old man was struck by a falling tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and police said there were no suspicious circumstances. Little more than two hours later, a tree came down on a car in Mill Hill, north London, and a man in his twenties was killed. Officers said their thoughts were with his loved ones.
The deaths came as Storm Austen and then Storm Boelo battered the UK across the weekend. Austen arrived first on Friday, and Boelo reached northern Britain on Saturday evening under an amber warning. Winds widely reached 60 to 70mph, with exposed coasts seeing gusts above 80mph, including 84mph in Argyll and Bute. Forecasters urged people to secure loose garden items and stay indoors.
The damage to the power network was heavy. Some 838,700 homes lost electricity across the two storms, and by Sunday evening 90,600 customers remained cut off. Engineers worked around the clock, though continuing winds made some repairs unsafe and certain areas hard to reach.
Elsewhere, the storms disrupted travel and daily life. Flooding reached a Glasgow railway platform, fallen trees lay across lines, and flights were diverted or cancelled at Leeds Bradford. Festivals and events were called off, and Edinburgh Castle and Fountains Abbey closed for the day. Flood warnings stood across the country on Monday morning.
In Scotland, the government's resilience room met as first minister John Swinney gathered politicians, agencies and forecasters. Shirley-Anne Somerville said some respite was expected on Monday, but warned that more severe weather could arrive early in the week and urged people to keep heeding official advice.
At about 10.30 on Sunday morning, on a minor road at Mid Kelton in south-west Scotland, a 60-year-old man was struck by a falling tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police Scotland said there were no suspicious circumstances and that a report would go to the procurator fiscal in due course.
A little over two hours later, at 12.40pm, a tree came down on a car in Mill Hill, in the north of London. The driver, a man in his 20s, was killed. Ch Insp Guy Ellwood said the thoughts of police were with the loved ones of the young man who lost his life. The two deaths came as Storm Boelo and Storm Austen battered the UK over the weekend.
Austen came first, bringing strong winds to south-west England on Friday. Boelo, the second named storm in as many days, reached the northern parts of the country on Saturday evening. The Met Office put an amber warning into force at 9pm on Saturday covering Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England. Winds widely reached 60-70mph, and exposed coastal spots saw gusts above 80mph: 82mph on Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, 84mph in Argyll and Bute, and 83mph in Snowdonia (Eryri). The forecaster advised people to secure loose garden items and stay indoors, warning of danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves.
The damage to the power network was heavy. Across Britain, 838,700 homes lost electricity during the two storms. By 7pm on Sunday, the Energy Networks Association, which represents operators in the UK and Ireland, said 90,600 customers were still cut off. Northern Powergrid, which serves Yorkshire and the north-east, said 13,000 of its customers were expected to remain without power beyond Sunday night, though it had already reconnected 102,000. The ENA said continuing severe weather in some regions was limiting engineers' chances to start repairs safely, and that access to certain areas remained difficult. Engineers, it said, were working around the clock to find and fix faults.
Transport was disrupted too. Network Rail Scotland shared images of flooding running from the tracks to the platform at a Glasgow station, and of fallen trees above the lines near another. Speed restrictions applied across Scotland and several stretches of railway were closed. Network Rail also posted pictures of a trampoline beneath a train and a shed beside the tracks, reminding people who live near railways to secure their garden objects firmly. At Leeds Bradford airport some flights were diverted and others cancelled.
Events fell away as well. Visit Liverpool cancelled its River of Light display in the interests of safety. London's Diwali on the Square celebrations, set for Sunday, were called off on the advice of independent health and safety experts. Edinburgh Castle and the Fountains Abbey estate in North Yorkshire both closed for the day, the latter after cancelling its Fountains by Floodlight evening on Saturday. In Cumbria, police reported a number of overnight calls about localised flooding and fallen trees blocking roads, and urged drivers to take care while crews cleared them.
Flood warnings stood across the country early on Monday. The Environment Agency issued 10 warnings that flooding was expected and 65 alerts where it was possible. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had 10 flood warnings and 11 alerts in place, and Natural Resources Wales reported nine alerts. The amber zone sits within wider yellow wind warnings covering parts of England farther south, north Wales and all of Northern Ireland.
In Scotland, the government's resilience room met on Sunday afternoon, focusing on outages and restoration. First minister John Swinney met senior politicians, emergency agencies and forecasters amid warnings that similar conditions would return early in the week. Social justice and housing secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said travel disruption was likely to continue into Monday and urged people to check official sources before setting out. Some respite is expected during Monday, she said, but more severe weather is possible early in the week, and people should keep heeding warnings.
Notable Quotes
There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in due course.— Police Scotland spokesperson
There is a possibility of more severe weather conditions early on in the week.— Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scottish social justice and housing secretary
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Climate & Environment