A major clean-up operation was under way on Monday after weekend storms caused havoc, with forecasters warning of more strong winds to come. Two men were killed by falling trees after two named storms, Austen and Boelo, struck parts of the UK, and there was widespread travel disruption, flooding, power cuts and event cancellations. The Energy Networks Association, which represents operators in the UK and Ireland, said 90,000 customers were still without power on Monday morning.
That figure was later down to 39,000. The association’s chief executive, Lawrence Slade, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that disruption had been widespread, with operators having to restore power to about 700,000 customers over the weekend. He said Friday, Saturday and Sunday had been particularly challenging.
One of the problems was how quickly Boelo followed after Austen,” he said. Another issue was that there was no letup in the strong winds, widely 50-70mph and up to 85mph in northern Scotland. The weather was much milder on Monday but the Met Office said more strong winds were on the way and issued two yellow weather warnings.
One is in place from 6pm until 3am on Tuesday, covering western coastal areas from Cornwall up to south-west Scotland. Gusts of up to 65mph could hit exposed coastal areas, accompanied by heavy rain at times. The Met Office advised people to take care near cliffs and be aware of strong waves.
The second warning will be in place from 3am to 9pm on Tuesday and covers most of Scotland. Forecasters said winds of 50-60mph were likely to be quite widespread, with gusts up to 70mph in the far north. It warned of possible travel cancellations, road closures and more power cuts.
The weekend storms led to two deaths, authorities said. A 60-year-old man was hit by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway, while a man in his 20s died in Finchley, north London. The 60-year-old was named on Monday afternoon as Richard Baines, the curator of Logan Botanic Garden near Port Logan.
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