Tens of Thousands Still Without Power After Back-to-Back Storms Hit Britain

About 90,000 properties in northern parts of the UK remained without power on Monday morning after a weekend of severe weather, and forecasters warned that further strong winds were on the way.

Storms Austen and Boelo, which struck in quick succession, caused widespread travel disruption, flooding, power cuts and event cancellations. Authorities said two men died after being hit by falling trees: a 60-year-old in Dumfries and Galloway and a man in his 20s in Finchley, north London.

The Energy Networks Association, which represents network operators in the UK and Ireland, said operators had restored power to about 700,000 customers over the weekend. Its chief executive, Lawrence Slade, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Friday, Saturday and Sunday had been especially difficult. "It certainly was a tough one. One of the problems was how quickly Boelo followed after Austen," he said.

Slade explained that the winds never eased, with gusts widely reaching 50-70mph and up to 85mph in northern Scotland. "Until that weather system passes we can't safely get engineers out to replace poles, to get wires back up etc.," he said.

Conditions were much milder on Monday, but the Met Office issued two yellow weather warnings. The first runs from 6pm Monday until 3am on Tuesday and covers western coastal areas from Cornwall to south-west Scotland. Gusts of up to 65mph could hit exposed coasts, along with heavy rain at times, and people were urged to take care near cliffs and watch for strong waves.

The second warning covers most of Scotland from 3am to 9pm on Tuesday. Winds of 50-60mph are likely to be fairly widespread, with gusts of up to 70mph in the far north. Forecasters cautioned that travel cancellations, road closures and more power cuts were possible.

Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, met senior politicians, emergency teams and forecasters on Sunday to discuss the response. On Monday he posted on X: "My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the two people who have tragically lost their lives as a result of Storm Boelo." He thanked the emergency services for working through the night.

There were also pockets of flooding. Footage from Largs town centre showed floodwater rushing through the streets, and one resident said it was the highest she had seen in 36 years of living there. Staff at the Thai restaurant Tha-Tien-Thai shared a video of their flooded kitchen with the caption "There is nothing left," and said the business would stay closed for the foreseeable future because the flood restoration was larger than first planned.

Emergency services were called to a flooded care home in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, on Sunday evening. Police Scotland said everyone there was accounted for, road closures were in place and officers were expected to stay on site overnight.

Travel was also affected. Some flights were diverted from Leeds Bradford, England's highest airport, and others were cancelled. Most train services were returning to normal, though operators advised passengers to check before travelling. Sunday racing at Aintree was abandoned because of the high winds, and the goalless draw between Sunderland and Leeds prompted a Guardian live blog to conclude: "And the winner is .. the wind."