The Independent, on Climate, 25 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

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

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.1 finding

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). Storm Boelo brought 80mph gusts and travel disruption to much of Scotland this weekend, shortly after . The Met Office has warned of potential injuries and danger to life from flying debris as well as a chance of damage to buildings, power cuts and travel disruption. 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 (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.

Read the original article on independent.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
What we found (1)

The Independent reports the power cuts across Scotland after Storm Boelo accurately and attributes its figures to the network operators and the Met Office. The article describes heavy rain and floodwater but never tells its reader that warming makes heavy rainfall like this more frequent and more severe.

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Minor

    “Storm Austen delivered heavy rain to many areas on Friday”

    Why this matters
    The words "delivered heavy rain to many areas" report a run of extreme rainfall from back-to-back storms as plain weather, with no word on what is driving such rainfall.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes the heavy rain from two storms in quick succession as ordinary weather that has nothing to do with a warming climate.
    The context
    Human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall more frequent and more intense. The article never mentions climate change or warming 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)
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “climate” and “warming”.

    Show it in the article

    “Flood water on the A8 in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, after Storm Boelo passed through the area”

    Why this matters
    The photo caption "Flood water on the A8" shows the storm's flooding, and the article's text never once connects that flooding to a warming climate.
    The impression it gives
    A reader sees flooded roads as a one-off result of a bad night's weather, with no wider cause.
    The context
    The same storm brought heavy flooding across the west of Scotland and forced a care home in Saltcoats to be evacuated. Warming is making heavy rainfall and the flooding it causes more likely, and the article says nothing about it.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

How other outlets reported it

Spot something we missed? Report this article

More from The Independent

  1. 25 OctScottish bridge closures and warnings over high winds from Storm Boelo3.0
  2. 25 OctStorm Boelo latest: Thousands without power and hundreds of flights cancelled as 80mph winds batter UK6.0
  3. 25 OctStorm Boelo leaves Scottish high street under floodwater6.0
  4. 25 OctStorm Boelo sees flights and ferries cancelled and multiple A roads closed6.0
  5. 25 OctGoods and services the super El Niño could make more expensive – and why3.0

Everything we scored from The Independent