90,000 Northern UK Homes Remain Dark as New Winds Arrive

Approximately 90,000 properties in northern Britain lacked electricity on Monday morning following two consecutive storms.

The Energy Networks Association, which represents utility operators in the UK and Ireland, provided the figure on Monday. Two men died during the weather event. A 60-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway was struck by a falling tree, and a man in his 20s died in Finchley, north London.

Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the association, told BBC Radio 4 that crews restored power to roughly 700,000 customers over the weekend. He described the period from Friday through Sunday as particularly difficult. "It certainly was a tough one," Slade said. He noted that the rapid succession of Storm Austen and Storm Boelo complicated recovery efforts.

Strong winds ranging from 50 to 70 mph, with gusts reaching 85 mph in northern Scotland, prevented engineers from safely working on poles and wires. The weather was milder on Monday, but the Met Office issued two yellow warnings for Tuesday. The first covers western coastal areas from Cornwall to south-west Scotland from 6 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Tuesday, with gusts up to 65 mph. The second covers most of Scotland from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, with winds of 50 to 60 mph and gusts up to 70 mph in the far north.

Forecasters warned that the new wind system could cause further power cuts, road closures, and travel cancellations. In Largs, floodwater cascaded through the town center. A resident said the water level was the highest she had seen in 36 years. At the restaurant Tha-Tien-Thai, staff shared video of water in the kitchen and announced the doors would close for an extended period for restoration.

Emergency services responded to a flooded care home in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, on Sunday evening. Police Scotland confirmed all residents were accounted for and officers remained on site overnight. Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, met with senior politicians and emergency teams on Sunday to coordinate the response. He posted on X on Monday, expressing condolences to the families of the two men who died and thanking emergency services for their overnight work.

Travel disruptions included diverted flights at Leeds Bradford airport and cancelled services. Most train services returned to normal schedules by Monday, though operators advised customers to check before traveling. The high winds also forced the cancellation of Sunday racing at Aintree.