Man, 60, killed by falling tree as Storm Boelo claims first life in Scotland

A 60-year-old man has died after being struck by a falling tree as Storm Boelo battered Scotland, in what is believed to be the storm’s first fatality since it hit late on Saturday.

Police Scotland said officers were made aware of a 60-year-old man having been struck by a falling tree on a minor road at Mid Kelton near Castle Douglas at around 10.30am on Sunday, 25 October, 2026. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course. Police have not named the man. (The Scottish Sun)

Emergency crews raced to the scene near Castle Douglas in Dumfries just after 10am, and local roads were closed while officers carried out their investigation. The fatal incident happened during an amber warning for wind that came into force across the country on Saturday night and remains in place until 9pm on Sunday. (The Scottish Sun)

Scotland has been hit by winds of up to 85mph during the storm, with overnight gusts reaching 85mph at Machrihanish in Argyll and Bute. The Ayrshire coast was hit particularly hard, with the coastal towns of Largs and Saltcoats left submerged by water after the storm battered the coast overnight. (The Scottish Sun)

The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room met on Sunday afternoon to discuss the storm’s impact, hearing that some 40,000 customers were currently without electricity, around 26,000 others had been restored, and more than 82,000 had experienced outages during the storm. (The Scottish Sun)

Travel was also disrupted across the country, with major bridges closed and trains and flights cancelled. The Queensferry Crossing and the Clackmannanshire Bridge were closed to high-sided vehicles, and the Dornoch Bridge near Tain on the A9 was closed to all vehicles because of strong winds. (The Scottish Sun)

Scotland could face a third named storm in four days, with a new yellow wind warning kicking in at 3am on Tuesday and lasting until midnight, with gusts of up to 70mph expected across all of Scotland except Shetland. (The Scottish Sun)