Storm Boelo: amber wind warning with 80mph gusts as Scotland braces for 'danger to life' weekend
The Met Office has issued an amber wind warning for Storm Boelo across Scotland, the far north of England and parts of Northern Ireland, with gusts potentially exceeding 80mph and warnings of a danger to life from flying debris.
The north of the UK is bracing for powerful winds with gusts potentially exceeding 80mph, along with “widespread travel disruption” to ferries and trains, as Storm Boelo, the second named storm of the season, sweeps in this weekend.
An amber wind warning is in place across Scotland, the north of England down to Carlisle and the north-east of Northern Ireland, coming into force at 9pm on Saturday, October 24, and lasting until 9pm on Sunday, October 25. It follows Storm Austen, which battered the South West on Friday (Glasgow Times, Pink Un).
Forecasters expect widespread gusts of 60 to 70mph, with speeds potentially reaching 80mph in exposed coastal locations. The Met Office has warned of a danger to life from flying debris, as well as damage to buildings and trees, power cuts and severe travel disruption.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “We have an amber wind warning in place across Scotland later today and through tonight and into the end of Sunday. With the strong winds, potentially gusts exceeding 80 miles per hour locally, there will be some widespread travel disruption across Scotland, possibly northern parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England as well through the next 24 to 36 hours. I’m expecting delays to ferry services, if not cancellations, perhaps some quite widespread impacts to travel on the railways and on the roads as well.” (Glasgow Times, Oldham Times).
Network Rail Scotland said services south and west of Kilwinning will stop from 9pm on Saturday, while the Oban and Mallaig lines will shut from around 10pm. On Sunday, Highland routes between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach will be blocked from the start of service, alongside the line between Wick and Helmsdale, with speed restrictions on remaining services (Scottish Sun, Rail Advent).
Glasgow Airport has warned passengers to check flights before travelling as strong winds may cause delays or cancellations, with possible restrictions to airside activities during gusts (Scottish Sun, Glasgow Times).
Storm Austen saw thousands of homes hit by power cuts on Friday, and the Met Office said that could “potentially” be replicated across the amber areas. The National Grid confirmed on Friday night that engineers had restored power to more than 60,000 homes since Storm Austen began (Glasgow Times).
People in coastal areas face a danger to life from large waves and beach material thrown onto coastal roads and sea fronts (Secret Glasgow).
More on this topic: all UK Broadband stories
