Tens of thousands of households were plunged into darkness today in the United Kingdom following the passage of Storm Boelo, with the gale-force winds and heavy rainfall that accompanied it causing transportation disruptions and flight cancellations.
According to the Energy Networks Association (ENA), 82,000 households were without power today around 8:00 a.m. local time (10:00 a.m. Cyprus time) in Britain.
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The orange alert for gale-force winds issued by authorities remains in effect until 9:00 p.m. local time in Scotland and parts of northern England, following the passage of an initial storm, Austen, on Friday in the southwestern part of the country.
Strong winds from two storms are testing pilots skills to the max this weekend
— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) October 24, 2026
Jets flying in had to face Storm Austen on Friday, and Storm Boelo is hitting today. This footage from Manchester Airport shows skilled pilots using their skills to land amid the high wind! pic.twitter.com/OLiPmmXrhq
According to the ENA network, power has been restored to 345,000 customers following the passage of storms Austen and Boelo.
This morning, wind gusts of up to 135 km/h swept through the northern part of the country, mainly Scotland, according to the Met Office.
WATCH
— UK Dispatch (@UKDispatch_) October 25, 2026: Manchester Piccadilly station get flooded by storm Austen pic.twitter.com/Df3v5f07GT
Transportation disruptions were reported in Scotland, where roads and rail lines were closed due to fallen trees, downed power lines, and flooding, according to Network Rail Scotland.
Meanwhile, a yellow flood warning was in effect in Scotland until 3:00 p.m. local time, while environmental agencies in Britain and Scotland issued dozens of warnings today about river overflows and flooding.
In Northern Ireland, approximately 7,000 people were also without power today at around 10:30 a.m., according to the power grid operator. Ferry services from Belfast to Scotland and England were also canceled.
About 15 flights were canceled this morning at Belfast International Airport. Other flights to and from London, Glasgow, and Leeds were also canceled at Belfast’s George Best Airport.
In Germany, Storm Austen caused a power outage today in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau and in many neighboring communities, plunging 10,000 households into darkness and disrupting operations at the university hospital.
“A severe storm this morning caused widespread power outages in the eastern part of Freiburg and neighboring municipalities,” affecting approximately 10,000 households, a spokesperson for the regional electricity provider, Badenova, said in a press release.
Trees were uprooted by gusts of wind and “caused damage to power lines in various areas.” In addition, a metal roof that was torn off by the storm landed on an electrical substation east of the city, the spokesperson added.
The cellular network is partially down, according to a press release from the city of Freiburg.
The outage was resolved around 11:00 a.m. local time (12:00 p.m. Cyprus time) thanks to a gradual switch to alternative power sources via another electrical facility that had not been affected.
The city’s university hospital announced on its Instagram account that it had temporarily limited its emergency services to treating only patients whose lives were in danger before announcing, shortly after 11:00 a.m., that power had been restored and that normal operations were gradually resuming.
Germany has been battered since Friday by Storm “Austen,” known as “Luise” in the country.
Yesterday, extreme weather conditions caused scaffolding to collapse at a farmers’ market in the southwestern part of the country, seriously injuring two people.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h are expected today along the North Sea coast and at higher elevations, while winds of up to 85 km/h are forecast for other areas.
Storm Austen had previously swept through France, where more than 240,000 homes were left without power on Friday, as well as England, before continuing on to Belgium and Germany.
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Source: KYPE
