Two men were killed by falling trees on Sunday during Storm Boelo, and about 90,000 customers were still without power on Sunday evening, as recovery work began across the UK and the Met Office warned of more wind on Tuesday.
Two men were killed by falling trees on Sunday during Storm Boelo. A 60-year-old man died near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, and a man in his 20s died in Finchley, north London, when a tree fell on his car. Two women were taken to hospital after being struck by another falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross.
The storm cut power on a large scale. Across Storm Boelo and the earlier Storm Austen, 838,700 properties lost power in total, according to the Energy Networks Association. About 90,000 customers were still without power by 19:00 on Sunday, down from 161,400 reported at 15:00 as crews restored supplies through the afternoon. The highest gusts reached 85mph at Machrihanish in Argyll and Bute, and 84mph at Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides and at Capel Curig in north Wales.
The deaths are the first fatalities linked to Boelo. An earlier report on Saturday covered only the power cuts and gusts, with tens of thousands without electricity and 82mph winds in Scotland. The final amber wind alert ended at 21:00 on Sunday, and early on Monday the Environment Agency had 10 flood warnings and 65 flood alerts in place across England.
The deaths were reported by Sky News and the BBC, citing Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police, and the power totals come from the Energy Networks Association. The gust figures come from the Met Office. What is not yet settled is how long full restoration will take: Transport Scotland's Stuart Wilson said significant recovery work is required before the rail network returns to normal.
Recovery is now the story. Conditions improve on Monday, according to Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill, before more rain and strong winds arrive on Tuesday from a deepening area of low pressure. The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning from 03:00 on Tuesday to midnight for the far north of England, Scotland and the far north-east of Northern Ireland, so households that have just regained power face another unsettled day.