Two storms in two days as Austen and Boelo target UK

The UK is bracing for back-to-back storms as the Met Office names Storm Boelo, which is set to bring another round of wet and windy weather over the weekend, hot on the heels of Storm Austen.

Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, is expected to lash south-west England with strong winds on Friday morning. The Met Office has issued an amber wind warning covering Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Plymouth and parts of Devon between 1am and 10am on Friday, with gusts widely reaching 60 to 70mph and possibly 80mph in exposed locations. Forecasters warn the winds could bring down trees, damage buildings and cause significant transport disruption.

Yellow wind warnings cover most of England and Wales for Friday, with gusts of 45 to 60mph expected and 70mph possible in some places. North-west France is also firmly in the firing line, while the Channel Islands are bracing for severe gales with gusts of up to 80mph. Heavy rain in Scotland could bring some localised flooding.

Storm Boelo will then sweep in on Saturday, bringing wet and windy conditions to the whole of the UK, with poor travel conditions expected. The strongest winds will move into Scotland on Saturday afternoon and reach a peak overnight, with gusts of 50 to 65mph widely and up to 80mph in exposed locations. Yellow wind warnings cover Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, with transport disruption and some power cuts expected as winds funnel through the Central Lowlands.

Forecasters note that seeing two storms so close together is not unusual, with storms often arriving in clusters, and that a strong jet stream is driving the rapid development of these powerful systems.