The Independent, on Climate, 25 October 2026

The Independent reports Storm Boelo's power cuts accurately and attributes its figures to the two network operators and the Met Office. It never once tells readers that a warming climate is making storms of this kind, and the rainfall and flooding that come with them, more severe, even though its own photo caption shows flood water on the A8 and its own sister report shows a Scottish high street under water.

6.0

Serious

out of 10

What we found

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Serious

    “Storm Boelo brought 80mph gusts and travel disruption to much of Scotland this weekend, shortly after Storm Austen delivered heavy rain to many areas on Friday”

    What the words do
    Sets out two named storms in three days, with 80mph gusts and heavy rain, as plain weather with no cause behind it.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That back-to-back storms, flooding and 30,000 homes losing power are just ordinary autumn weather.
    What is actually the case
    Warming has made heavy rainfall and other weather extremes more frequent or more severe. The words climate and warming appear nowhere in the article, even though it carries a photo of flood water on the A8 at Port Glasgow and the Met Office warning of danger to life.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Flood water on the A8 in Port Glasgow”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “climate” and “warming”.
    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)

    Show it in the article

    “potential injuries and danger to life from flying debris as well as a chance of damage to buildings, power cuts and travel disruption”

    What the words do
    Carries the Met Office warning of danger to life in full while saying nothing about why such storms are hitting harder.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the risk is a one-off weather hazard with no connection to a warming climate.
    What is actually the case
    The documented record is that human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall and fire weather and other extremes more frequent or more severe; the article gives the reader no word of it at the point it reports danger to life.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Tiree saw 82mph gusts at about 4am”
    • On the recordIt is unequivocal that human influence, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Storm Boelo brought 80mph gusts, flooding and travel disruption to much of Scotland, days after Storm Austen. Climate change is making the heavy rainfall carried by storms like these more intense.

  2. Leaves out what changes the picture

    Minor

    What is missing

    The article never says in its text that Storm Boelo flooded Scottish communities, beyond a photo caption. Sky News reported Saltcoats among at least two villages flooded overnight, with streets turned into rivers and cars submerged, and the Independent's own video report showed Largs high street under floodwater with businesses damaged. Without this a reader takes the storm's damage to be power cuts and travel delays only.

    How we know

    Show where it belongs

Every underline is part of a finding. Press one to see why.

More than 30,000 homes across Scotland without power amid Storm Boelo

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in More than 30,000 homes across Scotland are experiencing power outages after Storm Boelo battered the country overnight. As of 11am on Sunday, just in excess of 24,000 Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) customer properties were affected by power outages. At least 6,000 homes in areas across central and southern Scotland were also without power following the storm, according to SP Energy Networks (SPEN). . The Met Office has warned of . open image in gallery A police road closure on the A78 near Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire, after Storm Boelo passed through the area (Jane Barlow/PA) ( PA Wire ) The amber wind warning came into force at 9pm on Saturday and will remain in place until 9pm on Sunday, with only Orkney remaining under a yellow warning. Tiree saw 82mph gusts at about 4am and in the Glasgow region the Met Office recorded up to 62mph wind gusts at the same time. SPEN said on Sunday morning that engineers were working to restore power to customers after Storm Boelo impacted parts of the electricity network overnight. The power company is one of the two primary network operators in Scotland, serving central and southern areas, as well as parts of England and North Wales. Following the storm, the firm said there are currently around 6,000 homes in the SPEN areas without power, mainly across Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. SPEN warned more outages could occur as the storm continues and said that teams are on stand-by. The power company said it has handled around 2,000 customer calls and has extra resource working throughout the day to support people who are affected by power cuts. An update on Sunday morning said an amber weather warning remains in place, bringing falling debris and downed trees that have affected power lines across the region. open image in gallery Flood water on the A8 in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, after Storm Boelo passed through the area (Jane Barlow/PA) ( PA Wire ) According to the company, multiple SPEN repair teams have been mobilised and engineers are working to assess damage and restore power as quickly as possible. SSEN, Scotland’s other primary network operator, reported power cuts affecting homes across parts of Scotland as of 11am on Sunday. The power outages have been reported across Highlands, Argyll, Western Isles, Orkney, parts of Perth and Kinross, and Stirling. Areas of Aberdeenshire, near Inverurie and Banchory, and large parts of the Isle of Mull, Skye, Harris and Lewis have also been affected by the power cuts. Since Storm Boelo began moving across the region on Saturday, SSEN said engineers have already safely repaired and restored power to more than 19,500 customers. As Storm Boelo continues to sweep across the north of Scotland, the power company said it is also preparing for impact to network infrastructure in Tayside, the north-east and Aberdeenshire later on Sunday. In a social media post on Sunday, SSEN said it is “working hard to respond to damage caused by Storm Boelo”. “Severe weather across our network will continue today and further disruption remains possible,” SSEN said. Customers experiencing a power outage can report it by calling the free, national emergency helpline 105.

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