Severe storms sweep northern UK, leaving thousands without electricity and halting travel

The Met Office issued amber warnings for Scotland, northern England down to Carlisle and the north-east of Northern Ireland as Storm Boelo unleashed gusts over 80 mph and persistent heavy rain. The system followed Storm Austen, which had already caused extensive damage and left thousands without electricity; the National Grid reported more than 3,700 homes still offline on Saturday morning after earlier crews restored power to over 60,000 homes.

Rail operator TransPennine Express warned against all but essential trips on Saturday and Sunday, while Avanti West Coast urged passengers not to travel north of Preston on Sunday, and ferry services expected delays. Public events were affected, including the cancellation of the Diwali on the Square celebrations in London and the collapse of part of Brighton’s West Pier. Meteorologists highlighted the risk of flooding, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where rainfall could exceed 100 mm in a day, and linked the extreme weather to broader climate-change trends noted earlier in the year.