Disaster · Cornwall, UK · United Kingdom · October 23, 2026

Storm Austen cuts power in southern England and Brittany

Reported by 3 outlets · first reported Oct 23, 9:16 AM ET

Storm Austen left thousands of homes without power and closed dozens of schools in Cornwall on Friday, with a 76 mph gust recorded on the Isles of Scilly and gusts up to 160 km/h in Brittany. Storm Boelo is forecast to bring winds up to 80 mph to Scotland and Northern Ireland on Saturday, with amber warnings in place.

Why it matters

Back-to-back storms are disrupting power and transport across the UK and northwest France.

Background

Austen is the first named storm of the UK season. The Met Office names storms expected to cause significant impacts.

The story so far

1. Oct 15UK declares severe drought across southern England
2. Oct 16UK declares severe drought across southern England
3. Oct 23Storm Austen cuts power in southern England and Brittany
4. Oct 24Storm Boelo brings 80mph gusts to northern UK
5. Oct 25Storm Boelo kills one in Scotland and cuts power across northern Europe
6. Oct 26Storm Boelo kills two, cuts power in UK
7. Oct 27Storm Boelo leaves 90,000 without power

Follow the whole story →

Sources

• The Guardian ↗Oct 23, 12:30 PM ET
• Euronews ↗Oct 23, 9:16 AM ET
• BBC Science ↗Oct 23, 12:13 PM ET

This summary was written automatically from the reporting linked above; follow the sources for the full story. How One Turn works.

See it on the globe →All of Oct 23's stories