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Storm Austen brings power cuts and school closures to UK

The first named storm of the season has hit southern areas of Britain, leaving thousands without electricity and forcing dozens of schools to shut.

23 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Storm Austen brings power cuts and school closures to UK — Archive photoPhoto: Derek Harper · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, brought severe weather conditions to the UK this week. The Met Office issued multiple weather warnings ahead of the system's arrival, with strong winds and heavy rain affecting southern and western parts of the country. According to the Met Office, a gust of 76mph was recorded at St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly on Friday morning.

Forecasters had warned of the storm's approach earlier in the week. The Met Office issued yellow severe weather warnings, with gusts forecast at up to 60mph for southern areas. Spells of rain and showers were expected across many regions on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Storm Austen approaching the south-west by Thursday. As the system developed, warnings were upgraded, with forecasters indicating stronger winds than initially predicted.

Power cuts affected the south-west as Storm Austen struck. More than 16,000 homes in the south-west were without power on Friday morning. Thousands of additional homes across the region lost electricity as conditions intensified.

School closures were widespread in areas affected by the storm. Dozens of schools in Cornwall were closed as Storm Austen hit the region. Authorities had taken precautionary measures to ensure public safety during the severe weather.

Ireland also faced impacts from the system. RTÉ reported that two Status Orange rain warnings were issued for six counties as Storm Austen was set to hit Ireland on Thursday evening, with the warnings indicating intense rainfall expected for the affected areas.

Another storm system, identified as Storm Boelo, was forecast to follow in the wake of Austen. According to reports, Storm Boelo was headed towards Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England, with orange rain and wind warnings issued ahead of its arrival.

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