Storm Boelo kills two, leaves tens of thousands without power in UK
Storm Boelo killed 2 people and cut power to tens of thousands of homes across Britain this weekend, as schools closed and flights were diverted.
Storm Boelo killed 2 people and cut electricity to tens of thousands of homes across Britain over the weekend, as the storm shut schools, diverted flights and disrupted trains. Police Scotland said a 60-year-old man died after being struck by a falling tree on a minor road at Mid Kelton, near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, at around 10.30am on Sunday. A man in his 20s was killed when a tree fell on his car in Dollis Road, Finchley, north London, around the same time, according to BalkanWeb and Euronews Albania, which cited local police.
Two women were taken to hospital after a falling tree struck them in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, Police Scotland said, warning residents to avoid the Poplar Avenue area near the town's 'Bouncy Bridge'. The storm brought gusts of up to 85mph to Machrihanish in Argyll and Bute, according to BalkanWeb, with the Evening Standard reporting gusts of up to 82mph on Tiree and 62mph in the Glasgow area.
More than 90,000 homes were left without power across Britain, according to Euronews Albania and BalkanWeb. In Scotland alone, around 42,500 homes remained without electricity by Sunday evening, the Evening Standard reported, citing network operators SSEN and SP Energy Networks. Alongside the earlier Storm Austen, about 838,700 properties in total lost power over the weekend, BalkanWeb reported.
A Ryanair flight from Dublin to Bristol was diverted to Alicante in Spain, more than 900 miles off course, after its landing was abandoned amid the storm, WalesOnline reported. A second Ryanair flight, from Faro to Edinburgh, was diverted to Oslo, about 600 miles from its destination, after it could not land in the weather.
The Met Office issued an amber wind warning for parts of Scotland that ran from Saturday evening to Sunday evening, and later warned of a fresh spell of severe weather bringing gusts of more than 70mph to over 40 areas on Tuesday. Network Rail said most train services were expected to return to normal on Monday after crews cleared fallen trees and repaired flooding and damaged overhead lines.
Scotland's Social Justice and Housing Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said ministers were monitoring the outages and urged people to check official travel advice, warning that more severe weather was possible early in the week.
Follow this story
An email when there is a real update (a new toll, a cause, an arrest). Nothing else; stop with one click.
Free: one story at a time. Members follow as many stories as they like.
What we know
- Official · Police Scotland; local police via BalkanWeb Storm Boelo killed two people: a 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, and a man in his 20s in Finchley, north London.
- Official · Police Scotland Two women were taken to hospital after a falling tree in Aberfeldy.
- Official · SSEN, SP Energy Networks More than 90,000 homes lost power nationwide; about 42,500 remained without electricity in Scotland by Sunday evening.
- 1 outlet · BalkanWeb Gusts reached up to 85mph in Argyll and Bute.
- 2+ outlets · WalesOnline, Mediafax Two Ryanair flights were diverted, to Alicante in Spain and Oslo in Norway.
- Official · Met Office A fresh warning covers gusts of more than 70mph for over 40 areas on Tuesday.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
PremiumSee how the 4 casualty figures in this story changed, when, and who gave each number.
Why it matters for Europe
Storm Boelo is the second named storm to hit Britain within days, after Storm Austen brought heavy rain on Friday, and the Met Office has already warned of a third system bringing high winds on Tuesday. The scale of the power cuts, which left hundreds of thousands of properties affected across the two storms, shows how exposed the UK's electricity network remains to back-to-back Atlantic storms during autumn.
Sources
Reported by 11 reports from 11 independent outlets in 5 countries.
- Evening Standard: Man dies after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo
- Evening Standard: Man killed by falling tree in Storm Boelo
- Evening Standard: Man dies after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo
- WalesOnline: Ryanair flight to Bristol diverted to Spain as Storm Boelo stops landing
- Evening Standard: Workers continue to restore power to homes hit by Storm Boelo
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 10 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, 12 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- How many people died in Storm Boelo?
- Two people died: a 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, and a man in his 20s in north London, both killed by falling trees.
- How many homes lost power?
- More than 90,000 homes lost power nationwide, with about 42,500 still without electricity in Scotland by Sunday evening.
- Were flights affected?
- Yes, two Ryanair flights were diverted, one to Alicante in Spain and one to Oslo in Norway, after they could not land in the strong winds.
This article was written with AI assistance from 17 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.