Power Returns to 700,000 Homes as New Winds Approach Britain

About 90,000 properties in northern Britain were still without power on Monday morning, October 26, after Storms Austen and Boelo swept through the country over the weekend. The Energy Networks Association said its member operators had restored service to roughly 700,000 customers during those two days.

The sequence began Friday and ran through Sunday. Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the back-to-back timing complicated the repair work. "It certainly was a tough one. One of the problems was how quickly Boelo followed after Austen," he said. Slade said gusts reached 50 to 70 mph widely, with readings up to 85 mph in northern Scotland, and that crews could not safely replace poles or restring wires until a weather system passed. Authorities said a 60-year-old man died in Dumfries and Galloway and a man in his 20s died in Finchley, north London, both after being struck by falling trees.

Milder air reached the country on Monday, but the Met Office posted two yellow warnings. The first runs from 6 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Tuesday for the western coast from Cornwall to south-west Scotland, where gusts could reach 65 mph alongside heavy rain. The second covers most of Scotland from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, with 50 to 60 mph winds expected across wide areas and gusts up to 70 mph in the far north; the Met Office said travel cancellations, road closures and additional power cuts are possible.

Flooding accompanied the winds. Video from Largs town centre showed water running through streets, and a resident there called it the highest level she had seen in 36 years. Staff at the Tha-Tien-Thai restaurant posted footage of a flooded kitchen with the caption "There is nothing left" and said the business would remain shut for the foreseeable future because restoration work was larger than first estimated. Emergency services attended a flooded care home in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, on Sunday evening; Police Scotland said all residents were accounted for and officers would stay on site overnight.

Transport operators reported disruption. Flights were diverted from Leeds Bradford and others were cancelled, while most train services were returning to normal, with operators telling passengers to check before travelling. Sunday racing at Aintree was called off because of the wind.

Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, met senior politicians, emergency teams and forecasters on Sunday to review the response. Posting on X on Monday, he wrote: "My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the two people who have tragically lost their lives as a result of Storm Boelo." He thanked emergency services for working through the night.

The Energy Networks Association has not given a date for clearing the remaining 90,000 outages. The Met Office's Scotland warning expires at 9 p.m. Tuesday.