Second storm to hit UK this weekend: Storm Boelo named, gusts up to 80mph on northern coasts

Storm Boelo: where and when

The Met Office named Storm Boelo (pronounced Boo-loh) on Thursday 22 October. It is the second named storm of the 2026/27 season, two days after Storm Austen, and a separate area of low pressure that the Met Office says will be invigorated by an active jet stream as it crosses the Atlantic.

A Yellow warning for wind covers the whole of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far north of England from 6pm on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday. It warns of gusts of 55-65mph widely and up to 70-80mph in more exposed coastal locations.

A separate Yellow warning for wind covers Northern Ireland from 6pm on Saturday to 3pm on Sunday, with gusts of 50-60mph widely and up to 65-75mph in exposed regions. The Met Office says the system reaches Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Saturday afternoon, with heavy rain moving in from the west through Saturday and spreading widely across the UK through the day.

Our Storm Boelo page shows the live Met Office warnings and power cuts as they change, and the weather warnings tracker has every warning in force.

What the Met Office says

Chris Bulmer, the Met Office's Deputy Chief Forecaster, said: "Storm Boelo will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend, impacting the opposite end of the country to Storm Austen. Gusts of 70-80mph in exposed coastal areas and high ground are possible, with 50-60mph gusts more widely."

He added that warnings and forecast detail will continue to develop, so people should keep up to date with the forecast over the next few days. Both of Boelo's warnings are Yellow; neither is Amber at the time of writing.

Storm Austen's warnings have changed too

Further south, the Met Office has updated the warnings for Storm Austen, which arrives on Thursday night. The Amber wind warning now starts earlier, at 1am on Friday. The wider Yellow warning has been expanded to cover western Wales and extended to 5pm on Friday.

A new Yellow warning covers a large area of England and Wales from 10am to 9pm on Friday, with gusts of 45-55mph. Neil Armstrong, the Met Office's Chief Forecaster, said that with trees in leaf, fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways, so people should take extra care on the Friday morning commute. The Met Office expects Austen to clear into the North Sea by Friday evening. Our Storm Austen page has the live picture, and our Friday warnings story lists the areas each warning covers.

The clocks go back during the warning

The clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October, in the middle of Boelo's warnings. At 2am the clocks go back to 1am, so the hour from 1am to 2am happens twice: worth knowing if you are checking warning times, power-cut updates or travel plans overnight. Phones usually change by themselves; ovens, cars and clock radios may not. Times on Sunday are GMT.

What to do before the weekend

Strong winds bring down branches and power lines, so the useful preparation is small. Tie down or bring in bins, garden furniture and trampolines. Charge phones and a power bank, and know where your torch is. Our power cuts guide and storm preparation guide cover the rest.

To report a power cut or get an update, call 105 free in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, call NIE Networks on 03457 643 643. Our power cut tracker shows cuts as the network operators report them. Stay away from fallen power lines, and keep well back from the coast and cliff edges while waves are large.