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Storm Boelo leaves 90,000 homes without power

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Story summary

Summary

Energy Networks Association reports about 90,000 homes lost electricity after Storm Boelo.
CalMac cancelled 12 of its 30 ferry routes, disrupting island connections.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 42 flood warnings for Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, and the Highlands.
First Minister John Swinney posted condolences and thanked emergency crews on X after the fatalities.

Summary

Two men and a woman died in separate incidents involving falling trees and the sea.
Storm Austen produced a 69-knot (79 mph) gust on the Isle of Wight.
Storm Boelo delivered 134.4 mm rain and low-80 mph winds in Ross and Cromarty.
Met Office warned dense fog could affect central southern England Thursday.
Met Office advised motorists not to use full-beam headlights in fog.

History

The 15-16 October 1987 Great Storm, which produced 115 mph gusts in Kent and £2 billion of damage, exposed flaws in the Met Office’s forecasting and forced the National Grid to overhaul warning procedures. Those reforms—enhanced ocean observations, better models and the Severe Weather Warning Service—now shape planners’ response to today’s Storm Boelo and Storm Austen.

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The 15-16 October 1987 Great Storm, which produced 115 mph gusts in Kent and £2 billion of damage, exposed flaws in the Met Office’s forecasting and forced the National Grid to overhaul warning procedures. Those reforms—enhanced ocean observations, better models and the Severe Weather Warning Service—now shape planners’ response to today’s Storm Boelo and Storm Austen.

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