Strong winds, power cuts and school closures disrupted life across south-west England as Storm Austen struck on Friday 23 October. More than 16,000 homes remained without electricity shortly before 11am, according to National Grid figures reported by The Guardian. A gust of 76mph was recorded on the Isles of Scilly that morning.
Power crews had been working to restore supplies since the morning. National Grid said electricity had been restored to more than 12,000 properties affected by the storm by 8am. That figure and the later count of homes still without power were recorded at different times; neither represents a final tally of the storm’s impact.
Dozens of schools in Cornwall delayed opening, while some remained closed. Rail passengers also faced disruption. According to The Guardian, National Rail, Britain’s rail information service, reported major disruption and cancelled services in England, Wales and Scotland.
An amber wind warning issued by the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, covered Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly from 1am to 10am on Friday. The morning’s 76mph gust was recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly.
Another storm forecast for the weekend
As Austen passed, forecasters were turning their attention to Storm Boelo. The Guardian reported that the Met Office had issued a further amber warning, lasting 24 hours from 9pm on Saturday 24 October. It covered Scotland, the north coast of Northern Ireland, and Cumbria and Northumberland in northern England.
The forecast warned of gusts reaching 80mph on exposed coasts and a danger from flying debris. These were warnings of potentially dangerous conditions during the next storm, rather than reports of damage it had already caused.
