Storm Boelo kills two, leaves 160,000 UK properties without power

Two powerful storms have battered northern Europe, killing at least one person, disrupting transport and leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity across Britain, France and Germany.

Storms Boelo and Austen passed through the region within 24 hours, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and flooding that damaged infrastructure and disrupted travel.

According to reports published on Monday, more than 150,000 homes remained without electricity across the three countries. French electricity company Enedis said about 59,000 homes were still without power on Sunday, while British network operators reported widespread outages. Germany also recorded power cuts affecting thousands of households.

In Scotland, a 60-year-old man was killed after a tree fell in the southwestern part of the country. Another falling tree injured two women in central Scotland, while roads and railway lines were blocked by fallen trees and damaged power cables.

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Wind gusts reached 135 kilometres per hour in parts of western Scotland, according to reports. The Met Office warned that dangerous conditions could persist, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel and remain alert to flying debris and coastal hazards.

The storms also affected air travel, with hundreds of flights cancelled or diverted across northern Europe. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, was among the airports affected.

In France, Storm Austen caused extensive disruption in Normandy and Brittany. In Germany, a blackout near Freiburg-Breisgau affected the mobile phone network and forced the town’s main hospital to limit services to emergency cases.

Scaffolding blown down by strong winds injured two people in the German town of Nastätten, while falling trees injured several people in Brussels. Three crew members aboard a freight ship were also injured in rough weather near the Netherlands.

Authorities continued to assess the damage as emergency workers cleared roads, repaired electricity infrastructure and responded to reports of flooding.

The storms have renewed concerns about the vulnerability of transport networks and electricity systems to extreme weather. Experts have warned that climate change can increase the intensity of some extreme weather events, although individual storms require separate scientific assessment.

Weather authorities have urged residents in affected areas to follow local warnings as recovery operations continue.

(theguardian)