Two men were killed by falling trees during Storm Boelo as recovery crews race to restore power to tens of thousands and officials warn of more wild weather ahead.
A man in his 20s died in north London after a tree struck a moving car on Sunday, and a 60-year-old man died after a falling tree hit him in Dumfries and Galloway in western Scotland. Two women were taken to hospital in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, after another tree strike, while strong winds brought down scaffolding in Streatham in south London and sent two more people to hospital.
Daily Mail reporting described Storm Boelo slamming Britain after Storm Austen, with winds up to 85 mph, heavy rain, a passenger plane skidding off the runway at Birmingham Airport, widespread flooding, and power cuts that hit hundreds of thousands of homes.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney offered condolences and thanked crews working through the night.
"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. My thoughts are with all those affected by the damage and I thank the emergency services working through the night to keep people safe."
He met senior politicians, emergency teams, and forecasters on Sunday as the response continued.
Power cuts hit 838,700 British properties across Boelo and Austen. An earlier count put about 160,000 homes in the dark. By 7 p.m. Sunday, the Energy Networks Association said 90,600 customers were still without electricity.
Northern Powergrid, which serves Yorkshire and the North East, said it had already restored power to 102,000 customers. Another 13,000 in that region were expected to remain without service beyond Sunday night.
Boelo drove gusts of 84 mph and dumped a third of a month’s rain on pockets of Scotland. Austen had already posted 76 mph at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly, 74 mph at Aberporth in South Wales, and 71 mph at Culdrose in Cornwall.
In Southampton, a tree crashed through the roof of Aman Kaur’s home on Copperfield Road on Saturday. The 45-year-old mother of two said the blast of glass and noise felt like an explosion. Her family member Sam, 16, was showered in shards and went into shock.
"Suddenly we thought it was a bomb. The glass and the noise were shocking."
Kaur said glass went everywhere. Sam could not move and shook while she and Harmesh held him. It took a couple of minutes to realize a tree was on the house. The strike left three holes and a large crack in the roof and shattered windows. Fish in the family pond were dead.
"They are all gone. I literally stood there this morning and cried."
Near Foyers village by Loch Ness on Sunday morning, French visitors Sandrine Dominici, 54, Marc Dominici, 62, and their 13-year-old daughter Gabrielle were driving toward a farm to see Highland cows when trees came down on their car. Marc was at the wheel. He braked hard. It was too late. Three trees hit the front. Airbags fired. The car was written off. The family said they were lucky to be alive.
"When we were arriving, maybe around 200 metres from the farm, we just saw what looked like a big Christmas tree coming down across the road on top of us."
Sandrine said a split-second more and the trees would have been on their heads.
In Darlington, a large tree smashed through the roof of an unoccupied home valued at £600,000. In Lancaster, a huge chestnut tree crashed into a house while the homeowner was in the kitchen. No one there was hurt.
At Exmoor National Park in Somerset, floodwater washed away the Tarr Steps on the River Barle. The stone clapper bridge runs about 180 feet across 17 massive slabs. Locals describe it as a thousand years old. Storm water has now destroyed it for the fifth time in nine years.
Network Rail and Network Rail Scotland posted images of flooding, fallen trees, a trampoline near the tracks, and a shed beside the line. They imposed speed limits, closed sections, and urged people to secure garden furniture. Transport Scotland’s Stuart Wilson said “significant recovery work” is required before the network returns to normal.
In Largs, North Ayrshire, floodwater overran the kitchen at Thai restaurant Tha-Tien-Thai. Staff shared video and a blunt caption: “There is nothing left.” The restaurant closed for a longer restoration than first planned. Couples on the coast took cover from heavy waves. A fishing boat came loose at Irvine Harbour and ended up stranded.
Police Scotland evacuated dangerous buildings in Ayr and a caravan park in Ballantrae, about 33 miles away. Emergency services answered a flooded care home call in Saltcoats on Sunday evening. Officers said everyone at the home was accounted for, local roads were closed, and police stayed on site overnight.
King George V Park on Glasgow’s south side flooded. Leeds Bradford Airport saw diversions and cancellations. Holidaymakers on a passenger flight watched their plane skid off the runway at Birmingham Airport in the storm winds.
Early Monday, the Environment Agency had 10 flood warnings and 65 alerts out. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency listed ten flood warnings and 11 alerts. Natural Resources Wales had nine flood alerts active.
Scottish Social Justice and Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville warned that Monday might bring some daytime relief, then more severe weather early in the week. She told the public to follow advice and heed warnings.
"While we expect some respite from the adverse weather during the day on Monday, there is a possibility of more severe weather conditions early on in the week and we urge everyone to continue to follow advice and heed any warnings."
Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern said Monday and Tuesday look a lot like Boelo for northern parts of the UK, with the strongest winds due Tuesday and a risk of 70 mph gusts under a yellow warning.
"It's a very similar situation to Boelo on Monday and Tuesday. In other words, the strongest winds expected to affect northern parts of the UK are expected to arrive on Tuesday. Risks of 70mph wind gusts, yellow warning in force, but of course we'll be watching this one very closely."
Yellow wind warnings were set to run from 3 a.m., covering Scotland, the far north of England, parts of the west of England, and the far north-east of Northern Ireland, with one window lasting into the evening and another framed through midnight Tuesday. The Met Office said rain would sweep the north-east again Monday, with Tuesday staying windy and wet.
Meteorologist Craig Snell noted that when the atmosphere is primed for storms, clusters are common. He compared the personal jolt of a branch on a car to how people rank “worst storm ever,” and recalled Storm Amy last year bringing about 92 mph gusts and more than 100 mm of rain to similar areas. As of Sunday afternoon, the next low did not look as potent as Austen or Boelo, and there were no plans yet to name it. Storm Chloe sits next on the 2026, 27 list if a system reaches amber or red. Settled, drier weather was expected after the next bout of wet wind.
During Austen, a witness at Polzeath beach in Cornwall said a family with young children walked onto a red-flagged beach. A passerby approached them. The father punched him. Lifeguards then told the family to leave.
Inverclyde saw extensive damage. Waves hammered coastal stretches including the Porthcawl shoreline. Across the map, from Cornwall to Glasgow, from Southampton to Loch Ness, the same pattern held: high wind, heavy rain, trees down, water up, and crews still clearing the mess.
Storms do not care about spin. They test roofs, rails, grids, and judgment, and the bill always lands on the people who live with the wreckage.
