Storm Boelo Set to Batter Northern UK With Gusts Above 80mph

The UK is preparing for another round of severe weather this weekend as Storm Boelo, the second named storm of the season, moves in. Strong winds and heavy rain are expected to disrupt travel and could cause more power cuts in the north.

Boelo is forecast to bring heavy, frequent showers to northern parts of the UK, with winds that may exceed 80mph. It arrives just after Storm Austen, which struck the south-west of England on Friday and is now clearing eastward.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning, its second most severe level, for Scotland and the north of England down to Carlisle. It runs from 9pm on Saturday to the same time on Sunday. A separate amber warning covers the north-east of Northern Ireland from 9pm Saturday to 10am Sunday. The forecaster has urged people to stay indoors as much as possible, citing a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves.

A large yellow warning for very wet and windy conditions covers the whole of the UK's north from midday Saturday to 9pm Sunday. A further warning for heavy rain applies to Wales and parts of western and southern England from 11am to 11pm on Saturday.

Widespread disruption is expected on ferries and trains. TransPennine Express has advised against all but essential journeys on Saturday and Sunday. Avanti West Coast has strongly urged passengers not to travel north of Preston on Sunday.

The Met Office has cautioned that the power cuts seen in the south-west could be repeated across the amber areas in the north. At one point on Friday, 31,000 homes in the south-west were without electricity. According to the National Grid map, more than 3,700 were still affected on Saturday morning.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the winds are the main concern. "They're really going to whip up some strong gusty winds across Northern Ireland, northern parts of England and also Scotland through the day," he said, adding that they would strengthen towards the evening. Temperatures will be slightly above the seasonal average, but he said the wind and rain will make it feel "pretty unpleasant", a very different side of autumn from much of the season so far.

Boelo's winds are expected to peak from Saturday evening. The wet weather should clear overnight in many areas, although more rain will continue to affect Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The storm comes after a year of extreme weather. Human-driven climate change continues to reshape rainfall patterns and conditions around the world, and the UK experienced its hottest summer on record this year, with five heatwaves and a record 40 days above 30C.

At a summit on the summer's record wildfires on Friday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned that the UK could face "a winter of greater flooding". He denied suggestions that the government was playing catch-up on civil preparedness, but said "we're living in a world where unexpected events seem to be becoming more and more common".