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Two Storms in Two Days as Austen and Boelo Target UK
Image source: Reuters
By Chris Fawkes Lead Weather Presenter
Published: 22 October 2026, 11:05 BST
Updated: 32 minutes ago
The Met Office have named a new storm, Boelo, which is set to bring another round of stormy weather to the UK over the weekend.
Storm Boelo
Storm Boelo will be hot on the heels of Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season. Storm Austen is expected to bring strong winds to south-west England during Friday morning.
Amber wind warning for Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Plymouth, and parts of Devon is in place from 1am to 10am on Friday.
- Gusts of wind will widely reach 60-70mph, and perhaps 80mph in exposed locations.
- Some trees may be blown over, leading to potential transport disruption and power cuts.
- Buildings could be damaged by the strongest winds, with a risk of flying debris.
Yellow wind warnings cover most of England and Wales with gusts of wind on Friday expected to reach 45-60mph, with 70mph gusts likely in some places.
As strong as these winds are, the most damaging winds will be to the south of the low pressure centre, putting north-west France firmly in the firing line, with gusts close to 90mph in parts of Brittany.
The Channel Islands are also expecting severe gales with gusts up to 80mph, leading to the cancellation of some ferry services.
Heavy rain in Scotland may cause localised flooding, with a Met Office yellow warning for 20-40mm of rain forecast, with up to 80mm accumulating in a few areas through Friday.
Storm Boelo to Bring Travel Disruption Over the Weekend
Storm Boelo will bring wet and windy weather across the whole of the UK on Saturday, with poor travelling conditions expected due to surface water and spray on faster roads and motorways.
The strongest winds will move into Scotland on Saturday afternoon, reaching a peak overnight.
Yellow wind warnings for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England are valid on Saturday and Sunday.
- Gusts are forecast to reach 50-65mph widely and up to 80mph in exposed locations.
- Localised disruption is expected, with strong winds funnelling through the Central Lowlands for a time.
- Transport disruption and power cuts are possible, and there is an additional risk of localised flooding following recent wet weather.
Is it Unusual to See Two Storms So Close Together?
It's not unusual to get storms so close together; in fact, they quite often arrive in clusters. A strong jet stream is needed to rapidly develop powerful wind storms. The process involves shifting warmer air northwards and cooler air southwards across vast areas of the Atlantic. These temperature contrasts can provide a fertile environment for new low pressure systems to develop and, if steered beneath a developmental area of a powerful jet stream, they can rapidly develop into a new named storm with damaging winds.