58 Flood Alerts Issued as Storm Boelo Lands

Wind speeds peaked at 80 mph in exposed coastal locations across the northern United Kingdom on Saturday night as Storm Boelo made landfall. The weather system triggered amber alerts for Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, and the far north of England. These warnings remained active from 9 pm on Saturday until 9 pm on Sunday. A separate amber warning covered the north-east of Northern Ireland until 10 am on Sunday.

Strong gusts were recorded before the peak intensity arrived. Instruments at the South Uist Range in the Western Isles measured maximum gusts of 75 mph. Similar speeds were recorded in the Highland and Eilean Siar regions. The Met Office forecast widespread gusts between 60 and 70 mph for areas within the warning zone.

The storm is the second named system of the season, following Storm Austen, which struck earlier in the week. Gusts of 76 mph were recorded at St Mary’s airport in the Isles of Scilly during that earlier event. Hundreds of homes in south-west England lost power due to Austen. The National Grid reported that more than 131,000 properties had regained electricity by 7 pm on Saturday.

Heavy rainfall accompanied the high winds. White Barrow in Wiltshire recorded 72 mm of rain since 8 am on Saturday. Cwm Dyli in North Wales and Inveruglas in Scotland both recorded 43 mm. The Environment Agency issued 58 alerts for possible flooding across England by 8 pm on Saturday. It also issued 12 warnings for areas where flooding was expected.

Transport operators reported immediate disruptions. Dublin airport cancelled nine outbound and ten inbound flights as of 4 pm on Saturday. Six inbound flights performed go-arounds. Five of those aircraft landed on a second attempt, while one diverted to another airport before returning. Network Rail shared images of a trampoline and a shed near train tracks, urging residents to secure garden furniture.

Public events were cancelled for safety reasons. Visit Liverpool called off the River of Light event, which features illuminated artwork. In London, the annual Diwali on the Square celebrations scheduled for Sunday were also cancelled. Independent health and safety experts provided the recommendation for the London event cancellation.

Major attractions closed their doors on Sunday. Edinburgh Castle and the Fountains Abbey estate in North Yorkshire were among the sites that shut down. Fountains Abbey had planned to host its Fountains by Floodlight event. Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly advised the public to stay indoors to avoid flying debris and crashing waves.