Storm Boelo: Amber warnings close northern sites, cancel flights
Amber alerts cover Scotland and northern England as gusts reach 75mph and events are called off.
By Christopher Singh ·
Storm Boelo arrived in the United Kingdom on Saturday evening, bringing strong winds and closures across northern areas. Amber weather warnings took effect as the system began to move through.
The Met Office said the strongest winds would develop from Saturday night. Forecasters expect gusts of 60 to 70mph generally, with exposed coastal locations potentially reaching 80mph. Amber warnings, the second most severe alert level, ran from 9pm Saturday until 9pm Sunday across mainland Scotland and northern England as far south as Carlisle. A separate amber warning covered north-east Northern Ireland from 9pm Saturday to 10am Sunday. Yellow wind warnings extend south into parts of England and North Wales and cover all of Northern Ireland.
Winds were already building before the amber warnings took hold. Gusts of 75mph were recorded at the South Uist Range in the Western Isles, and in the Highland and Eilean Siar regions. The Met Office also issued yellow rain warnings after heavy downpours produced high rainfall totals. White Barrow in Wiltshire logged 72mm of rain since 8am Saturday, while Cwm Dyli in North Wales and Inveruglas on Loch Lomond each recorded 43mm. The Environment Agency had issued 58 flood alerts for areas in England by 8pm Saturday, along with 12 warnings where flooding was expected in specific locations.
Boelo is the second named storm of the season, following Storm Austen, which brought strong winds to parts of the UK on Friday. During Austen, gusts reached 76mph at St Mary's airport in the Isles of Scilly, 74mph at Aberporth in south-west Wales, and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall. Hundreds of homes in south-west England remained without power after that system. National Grid reported power restored to more than 131,000 properties by 7pm Saturday.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said the storm would be felt across the UK, with the strongest winds and greatest potential for disruption in the north. He advised people to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid dangers from flying debris and crashing waves, and to secure loose items outside, plan ahead for travel, and monitor forecasts.
Transport and events were affected before the warnings peaked. At Dublin airport, airlines cancelled nine outbound and ten inbound flights as of 4pm Saturday because of weather issues. Six inbound flights performed go-arounds; five landed on a second attempt and one diverted to another airport before returning. Network Rail shared images of a trampoline and a shed near the tracks and asked residents to secure garden furniture firmly.
Several public events were cancelled. Visit Liverpool said its River of Light event, which features illuminated artwork, would not run, for safety reasons. In London, Diwali on the Square celebrations scheduled for Sunday were also called off, following recommendations from independent health and safety experts. Edinburgh Castle and the Fountains Abbey estate in North Yorkshire closed on Sunday; Fountains Abbey had planned to host its Fountains by Floodlight event.
Amber warnings remain in place until 9pm Sunday for mainland Scotland and northern England down to Carlisle, and until 10am Sunday for north-east Northern Ireland.
