Met Office issues 7 to 14-hour power cuts warnings to 65 UK areas on Friday - full list

Met Office issues 7 to 14-hour power cuts warnings to 65 UK areas on Friday - full list The Met Office is warning that power cuts could hammer as many as 65 UK areas on Friday. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Alex Evans 10:53, Wed, Oct 21, 2026 Updated: 10:54, Wed, Oct 21, 2026 As many as 64 UK areas have been handed warnings (Image: Getty) Households across 64 areas of the UK are being urged to stock up on essential items to help deal with power cuts before Friday morning in as Storm Austen is set to batter the UK with strong winds and rain. Much of the south of England and Wales, comprising 38 areas, has been handed a yellow weather warning for strong winds and rain from midnight on Friday until 2pm, while four specific areas have been given a rare amber warning for extreme winds, including Devon, Cornwall and Plymouth from 3am to 10am on Friday. And across 26 areas of Scotland, a yellow weather warning for rain will also bring potential flooding and disruption too, starting at 6am on Friday and ending at 3am on Saturday. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Storm Austen is set to bring travel disruption and a 'danger to life' when it slams across parts of the UK on Friday. The Met Office is now urging households in affected areas to prepare for sudden strong winds, power cuts, and life-threatening conditions forecast from midnight on October 23 to 3am on October 24. Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . Households urged to stockpile 3 items before clocks go back Met Office issues power cuts warning to 22 areas of England on Friday The Met Office warned: "Storm Austen bringing a spell of strong winds with transport disruption likely and possible damaging winds in some areas." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT It adds in its advice: "Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT "People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It's easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items. "Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area." On the amber warning, it adds: "Driving in these conditions can be dangerous, for yourself and other road users. If you must drive, you can do this more safely by taking the following actions; drive slowly to minimise the impact of wind gusts, be aware of high-sided vehicles/caravans on more exposed roads and be cautious when overtaking, and give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries, and buses more room than usual. "If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea. Take care if walking near cliffs; know your route and keep dogs on a lead. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If you do have a power cut, call 105 from your mobile to report it. The Met Office says about Friday: "Strong west to northwesterly winds will spread across southern parts of England and Wales during Thursday night and into Friday. Gusts of 50-60 mph are likely and some coastal or exposed areas could see 70 mph or more, this more likely over parts of southwest England. Ahead of this, a spell of southerly winds with gusts of 50-60 mph will move east along the south coast of England during Thursday night. Winds will slowly ease during Friday afternoon." The full list of 64 UK areas is: Angus Clackmannanshire Dundee Falkirk Fife Perth and Kinross Stirling Aberdeen Aberdeenshire Moray East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Renfrewshire Glasgow North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Renfrewshire South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire West Dunbartonshire Dumfries and Galloway East Lothian Edinburgh Midlothian Council Scottish Borders West Lothian Brighton and Hove East Sussex Hampshire Isle of Wight Kent Portsmouth Southampton West Sussex Bath and North East Somerset Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Bristol Cornwall Devon Dorset Gloucestershire Isles of Scilly North Somerset Plymouth Somerset South Gloucestershire Torbay Wiltshire Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Caerphilly Cardiff Carmarthenshire Ceredigion Merthyr Tydfil Monmouthshire Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Powys Rhondda Cynon Taf Swansea Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Herefordshire Emergency News weather warnings Met Office UK weather Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments