Storms Austen and Boelo cut power to more than 150,000 homes across northern Europe

26 October 2026

Two storms in two days, Austen and Boelo, swept across northern Europe and left more than 150,000 homes without power.
On Sunday about 82,000 homes in Britain, nearly 60,000 in France and at least 10,000 in Germany were without electricity. At the peak of Austen on Saturday about 288,000 homes in France were cut off.
Gusts of up to 135 km per hour were recorded in Argyll and Bute in western Scotland.
The United Kingdom's Met Office warned that Boelo posed a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves and advised people to stay indoors.
The storms also hit the Netherlands and Belgium, with hundreds of flights cancelled or diverted and Amsterdam Schiphol warning of delays.
Some ferries were cancelled, trucks were barred from Denmark's Great Belt Bridge and some Swedish train services were suspended.