Storm Austen left thousands of properties without electricity in Ireland, Wales and south-west England on Friday, as weather services issued new warnings for Storm Boelo, the next named system expected this weekend^1,2,3,4.

The Irish Examiner and The Irish Times both reported that about 3,000 homes, farms and businesses in Ireland were without power, with Cork County Council crews clearing debris^1,2.

The Irish Times said ESB Networks reported the outage, Bus Éireann cancelled some services, and a yellow rain and wind warning for Leinster and Munster was in force until 10 a.m. Friday².

The Guardian, covering the United Kingdom, said thousands of homes in the south-west were without power and that schools in Cornwall were disrupted as Austen passed³.

BBC Wales said National Grid reported almost 2,000 homes without power from Milford Haven to Usk, with the largest cluster more than 500 homes in Cardigan, and that two Met Office yellow warnings were in force Friday⁴.

The same report said a tree blocked the railway at Cwmbran and Transport for Wales warned of delays of up to 60 minutes and cancellations around Cardiff and Shrewsbury⁴.

Forecasters then turned to Storm Boelo. The Irish Times said further rain and wind were expected in Ireland this weekend after Austen².

The Guardian said the Met Office had issued an additional wind warning as Boelo moved toward Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England³.

Later Friday, the Irish Examiner reported Met Éireann had issued an orange wind warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo from 2 p.m. Saturday until 9 a.m. Sunday, and a separate orange rain warning for Kerry from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday⁵.

The same report said yellow rain warnings would cover those counties plus Clare, Cork, Galway and Limerick from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, with yellow wind warnings for Connacht plus Clare, Kerry and Limerick from 1 p.m. Saturday until midday Sunday, and a further yellow wind warning for Donegal until 3 p.m. Sunday⁵.

The Irish Examiner said the UK Met Office issued a yellow wind warning for Northern Ireland from 6 p.m. Saturday until 3 p.m. Sunday, with gusts of 50 to 60 mph, rising to 65 to 75 mph in exposed areas⁵.

What remains unclear from these accounts is a combined Ireland-UK outage total, how quickly supplies will be restored, and whether Boelo will match Austen's peak gusts.

A later Irish Times report said Met Éireann warned of increased flooding this weekend because the ground was already saturated after Austen, with very heavy rain expected in the south⁶.

That account matched the Examiner on orange rain for Kerry from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and orange wind for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo from 2 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, plus yellow rain and wind alerts across Connacht and Munster^5,6.

The Irish Times said Galway Races rescheduled Saturday National Hunt racing because of Boelo and that events in Kerry were cancelled, while council crews continued clearing fallen trees⁶.

It also said Met Éireann figures showed more than 20 mm of rain overnight at Dublin Airport, that ESB still reported about 3,000 properties without power, and that the UK Met Office yellow warning for Northern Ireland ran from 6 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. Sunday, with gusts of 80 to 90 km/h and up to 120 km/h in exposed areas⁶.

Sources

1. Irish ExaminerFlooding, fallen trees and travel updates as Storm Austen moves eastOct 23, 1:30 AM
2. The Irish TimesStorm Boelo latest: ‘Damage to homes’ expected as new orange warnings issued for this weekendOct 23, 7:07 AM
3. The GuardianThousands of homes without power as Storm Austen hits south-west EnglandOct 23, 7:34 AM
4. BBCStorm Austen leaves 2,000 homes without power as wind and rain batters WalesOct 23, 8:10 AM
5. Irish ExaminerAll eyes turn to Storm Boelo as fresh orange and yellow warnings issued for weekendOct 23, 8:37 AM
6. The Irish TimesStorm Boelo: Ireland braces for second storm as cleanup continues after AustenOct 23, 9:46 AM

Read the original at Irish Examiner ↗