The Met Office named Storm Boelo at 11:19 BST on 22 October 2026, less than two days after it named Storm Austen. Boelo is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend of 24-26 October, while Austen had already cleared into the North Sea by Friday evening.
How strong are the winds expected to be?
According to the Met Office, Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far north of England can expect widespread gusts of 55 to 65mph, rising to 70 to 80mph in exposed coastal areas and on high ground. Northern Ireland is forecast widespread gusts of 50 to 60mph, with exposed areas potentially seeing 65 to 75mph. The forecaster Chris Bulmer, the Met Office's deputy chief forecaster, said 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."
The weather site BritBrief reported that the strongest gusts, up to around 80mph, were expected from around 6pm on Saturday in the most exposed coastal spots, with 53 locations across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England placed under warning.
Where warnings are in place
The Met Office issued yellow wind warnings covering mainland Scotland and the far north of England, and a separate yellow wind warning for Northern Ireland, while an amber wind warning applies to Antrim and Derry. Across the border, Met Éireann issued its own orange and yellow warnings for rain and wind as the same low-pressure system crosses Ireland.
Storm Boelo warnings by area| Area | Warning | Period |
|---|
| Mainland Scotland, far north of England | Yellow wind (Met Office) | Sat 18:00 – Sun 21:00 |
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| Northern Ireland (all six counties) | Yellow wind (Met Office) | Sat 18:00 – Sun 15:00 |
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| Antrim and Derry | Amber wind (Met Office) | Sat 21:00 – Sun 21:00 |
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| Kerry | Orange rain (Met Éireann) | Sat 07:00 – 14:00 |
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| Donegal, Leitrim, Galway, Mayo, Sligo | Orange wind (Met Éireann) | Sat 14:00 – Sun 09:00 |
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| Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo | Yellow rain (Met Éireann) | Sat 04:00 – 15:00 |
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Met Éireann warned that the system could cause damage to homes and businesses, disruption and delays to public transport, difficult travelling conditions, flooding, and dangerous coastal waves, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
Why two named storms in 48 hours is unusual
Boelo and Austen are separate low-pressure systems rather than one continuous storm, the Met Office said. Austen, named by Met Éireann under the Western Europe storm-naming group, struck southern England and Wales with an amber wind warning on Thursday night into Friday. RTÉ reported that Austen brought 25 to 40mm of rain to southern Irish counties, with bursts of up to 15mm per hour recorded near Bray, left around 3,000 properties without power and brought down trees in County Cork.
The quick succession of two named storms meant disruption to transport on both sides of the Irish Sea. RTÉ reported that most Stena Line and Irish Ferries sailings between Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled or brought forward, and that a hurling final in Antrim was postponed.
What is not yet known
As of Saturday, the full scale of disruption from Boelo — including any power outages, transport cancellations or confirmed peak gust readings — had not yet been reported, since the strongest winds were forecast for Saturday evening into Sunday. Figures on actual impacts will depend on readings taken as the storm moves through.
Questions
- What is Storm Boelo?
- Storm Boelo is a storm named by the Met Office on 22 October 2026, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend of 24-26 October 2026.
- How strong are Storm Boelo's winds?
- The Met Office forecasts widespread gusts of 55-65mph in Scotland and the far north of England, rising to 70-80mph in exposed coastal areas, and widespread gusts of 50-60mph in Northern Ireland, rising to 65-75mph in exposed areas.
- Is Storm Boelo linked to Storm Austen?
- No, the Met Office described them as separate low-pressure systems. Austen hit southern England and Wales on Thursday night and Friday, while Boelo affects the north of the UK and Ireland from Saturday, roughly 48 hours after Austen was named.
- Which areas have weather warnings for Storm Boelo?
- The Met Office issued yellow wind warnings for mainland Scotland, the far north of England and Northern Ireland, with an amber wind warning for Antrim and Derry. Met Éireann issued orange and yellow rain and wind warnings for several western and northwestern Irish counties.
- Where does the name Boelo come from?
- Boelo is part of the storm-naming list for the 2026/27 season drawn up jointly by the Met Office, Met Éireann and the Dutch meteorological service KNMI, each of which contributes seven names, according to RTÉ. Which of the three services proposed the specific name 'Boelo' was not stated in the Met Office's reporting on the storm.
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