Metro, on Climate, 23 October 2026

Metro reports power cuts, flooding and travel disruption from Storm Austen and warns of Storm Boelo to follow, quoting Met Office forecasters accurately. It never tells its reader that a warming climate is making heavy rainfall and damaging storms worse, so the event reads as ordinary autumn weather.

6.0

Serious

out of 10

What we found

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Serious

    “‘This is the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season and we expect some disruption as it moves through.”

    What the words do
    Metro frames the storm purely as the season's first spell of bad weather, with the Met Office quote setting the limit of the explanation.
    What a reader comes away believing
    A reader comes away believing this is routine seasonal weather with no connection to a warming climate.
    What is actually the case
    Warming has made heavy rainfall and fire weather more frequent or more severe, and the article reports flooded roads and heavy rain without once saying warming loads the dice.

    How we know

    • 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)
    • Elsewhere in the article“Roads flooded in Bournemouth this morning”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “warming”.

    Show it in the article

    “‘The strong winds will be accompanied by heavy rain, making for an impactful weekend of weather.’”

    What the words do
    Metro closes the report on a forecast of heavy rain and wind with no word on why such events are becoming more severe.
    What a reader comes away believing
    A reader finishes the piece thinking back-to-back storms and heavy rain are simply weather, nothing to do with climate change.
    What is actually the case
    The documented record is that human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall more frequent or more severe; the article carries no such line anywhere.

    How we know

    • 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 Austen has cut power to nearly 7,000 homes and flooded roads in the South West, with Storm Boelo to follow this weekend. Climate change is making the heavy rainfall that comes with such storms more intense.

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

Thousands without power after Storm Austen slams into UK

Roads flooded in Bournemouth this morning (Picture: Alamy Live News) Nearly 7,000 homes have been left without power as Storm Austen hit the UK last night. Flights and trains have also been cancelled as millions of people are being placed under weather warnings by mid-morning. Those in the South West are the most affected, with a red weather warning coming into place over Guernsey and Jersey, and Devon and Cornwall are also under an amber warning for strong winds. A number of schools are closing or opening late in the region, and residents have been urged to postpone non-essential journeys, as roads and power lines have been damaged by fallen trees. The National Grid is reporting 6,980 homes in Cornwall have no power, including 2,241 vulnerable households. Meanwhile a yellow warning will kick in at 10am across the South East and North West of England, East Midlands and Wales. Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong, said: Millions are being brought under weather warnings today (Picture: Met Office) Those in the South West of the UK are most affected (Picture: Met Office) ‘With trees in leaf, it is likely fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways so take extra care on the Friday morning commute.’ Storm Boelo will follow Storm Austen this weekend, impacting Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England. Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Chris Bulmer, said: ‘Storm Boelo will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend, impacting the opposite end of the country to Storm Austen. ‘Gusts of 70-80mph in exposed coastal areas and high ground are possible, with 50-60mph gusts more widely. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.

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