Storm Boelo to hit UK with wind and rain, thousands without power

A second storm, Storm Boelo, is forecast to batter parts of the UK on Saturday, while thousands of homes remain without power after Storm Austen brought strong winds and heavy rain.

The amber weather warning for Storm Boelo starts at 21:00 BST on Saturday across much of Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and northern England. Gusts of up to 80mph (128km/h) could hit exposed areas. Travel chaos, power cuts and localised flooding are possible.

The warning comes one day after Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, unleashed wind gusts in excess of 75mph. It caused toppled trees, transport disruption and thousands of power outages. The National Grid said engineers restored power to more than 60,000 properties since Storm Austen began, but more than 10,000 homes were still without power on Friday evening.

In Brighton, part of the iconic West Pier, an abandoned structure that first opened in 1866, collapsed into the sea.

Strong winds and heavy rain will persist over the weekend as Storm Boelo moves across parts of the country. The amber warning covers much of Scotland, excluding the Northern Isles, as well as the far north of Northern Ireland and England from 21:00 BST on Saturday to 21:00 BST on Sunday. Wind gusts of 60-70mph are forecast, with exposed coastal areas potentially seeing speeds of up to 80mph. The Central Lowlands could also experience periods of disruption as strong winds funnel through the region.

Travel disruption is expected. ScotRail confirmed that some train services will be cancelled after 21:00 on Saturday, while damage caused by the winds could lead to additional power cuts.

Yellow weather warnings for wind on Saturday cover Orkney, the rest of Northern Ireland and northern England. Gusts of 55-75mph are possible in these areas, with isolated gusts potentially reaching 80mph. While the worst of Saturday's weather is forecast to be felt in areas covered by warnings, heavy and persistent rain is expected across larger parts of the UK. Spray and surface water could make driving conditions hazardous, while further downpours increase the risk of localised flooding.

Strong winds are forecast to continue into Sunday, although rain should gradually ease across most of the country. Sunny spells and blustery showers are expected elsewhere, while north-east Scotland is likely to see the most persistent rainfall.

Once the weekend's stormy weather has passed, forecasts suggest another area of low pressure will develop over the Atlantic before deepening as it approaches the UK from the south-west. This could bring a further spell of wet and potentially very windy weather to much of the country on Monday and into Tuesday. Whether the system will be strong enough to be named remains uncertain.

Later in the week, high pressure is expected to build over the near continent, bringing a return to drier, calmer and more settled conditions.

It is not unusual for storms to arrive one after another. In fact, they often develop in clusters, particularly during periods of unsettled weather across the Atlantic. A strong jet stream is needed to help rapidly develop powerful windstorms. The process involves warmer air being pushed northwards and colder air moving southwards across large areas of the Atlantic, creating a sharp contrast in temperatures. These temperature differences provide favourable conditions for new low-pressure systems to form and strengthen. If these systems are then steered beneath a developing, powerful jet stream, they can intensify rapidly, potentially becoming named storms capable of bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and widespread disruption as they move towards the UK.

Source: BBC Science.