Storms Cut Power to 150,000 Homes

One man died in southwestern Scotland when a tree crashed onto him as storms Boelo and Austen swept through the region on Sunday. The fatalities marked the first death attributed to the weather systems that struck northern Europe within a 24-hour window.

Authorities reported that more than 150,000 homes lost electricity across three countries. In the United Kingdom, over 82,000 households were without power. France recorded nearly 60,000 outages, while Germany reported at least 10,000. The disruptions forced residents in multiple areas to rely on emergency services during the weekend.

Wind speeds reached 135 km/h in Argyll and Bute, located in western Scotland. The force of the gale downed trees and severed power lines, blocking major roads and rail lines. In Brighton, on the southern coast of England, the storm stripped away an unused pier on Friday. Two women were injured in central Scotland when another tree fell on them.

French utility company Enedis stated that 288,000 homes lost power at the peak of the storm on Saturday. By midday Sunday, 59,000 homes in Normandy and Brittany remained in the dark. A marathon runner in northern France suffered minor injuries after a tree fell during a race. In Germany, the town of Freiburg-Breisgau lost power, causing the local hospital to restrict services to emergencies. The blackout also severed mobile phone networks in the area.

German police reported two serious injuries in Nastatten after scaffolding was blown away at a local market. In Belgium, four people were injured in Brussels by falling trees on Saturday. The Netherlands coastguard said three crew members on a freight ship north of Schiermonnikoog were injured. Two of them were transported by helicopter to a hospital on the mainland.

The Met Office warned that Boelo posed a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves. The agency advised people to stay indoors as much as possible. Flood risks were flagged in parts of Scotland and England. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or diverted across the continent, including at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Experts noted that climate change contributes to more extreme weather events.