Storm Boelo brings severe winds and travel disruption across northern UK

Storm Boelo has brought amber weather warnings to Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, with gusts of up to 80mph forecast and officials warning of dangerous conditions, travel disruption and further power cuts. The storm is the second named system to affect the UK in as many days. The Met Office said the strongest winds reached western Scotland first before spreading eastward overnight and through Sunday.

Gusts of 75mph were recorded at South Uist Range in the Western Isles by Saturday evening, according to the BBC. An amber warning for Scotland and northern England is due to remain in place until 9pm on Sunday. Northern Ireland has a separate amber warning until 10am on Sunday.

Yellow wind and rain warnings cover wider areas, including parts of Wales, the Midlands and southern and western England. The Met Office warned that strong winds could bring down trees, damage buildings, send debris into the air and create dangerous waves. It advised people to remain indoors as much as possible and to avoid sheltering close to buildings and trees if they must go outside.

Transport services have already been affected. Train and ferry services in Scotland were cancelled, while police advised against unnecessary road journeys. TransPennine Express warned passengers to make only essential journeys over the weekend, and Avanti West Coast advised against travel north of Preston on Sunday.

Flooding also closed roads including the A78 Inverkip Road in Greenock, the A77 at Lendalfoot in Ayrshire and several routes in Dumfries and Galloway. Dublin Airport reported cancelled flights, while Stena Line, Irish Ferries and P&O Ferries cancelled crossings in the Irish Sea. The storm comes as National Grid continues restoring electricity after Storm Austen struck south-west England.

The BBC reported that more than 124,000 properties had been reconnected since that storm began, although hundreds remained without power on Saturday evening. The Guardian cited a National Grid figure of more than 3,700 homes still without electricity on Saturday morning, after 31,000 had been without power at one point on Friday. The reports differ in the precise number still without power and in the geographic description of the warnings, reflecting updates as the storm moved.

They agree that the principal risks are strong winds, rain, flooding, disrupted transport and additional outages. Events including Merseyside’s River of Light and several markets were cancelled, while Knowsley Safari Park said it would close on Sunday because of high winds.