Storm Boelo: Second named storm to batter Edinburgh this weekend as new weather warning issued
Storm Boelo will follow Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, which will arrive on Friday
The second named storm of the season, Storm Boelo, is making its way to Edinburgh this weekend with a new weather alert issued by the Met Office for Saturday and Sunday.
Storm Boelo will bring strong winds, picking up from Saturday evening and lasting until Sunday night.
A Met Office yellow weather alert for wind is in place from 6pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.
Meanwhile Storm Austen will sweep across eastern Scotland on Friday, with between 20 and 40mm of rainfall expected in affected areas.
What can I expect from Storm Boelo?
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Strong westerly winds will spread across northern parts of the UK during Saturday evening.
“Very windy conditions will persist overnight and through much of Sunday before gradually easing from the southwest later.
“Gusts of 55-65 mph are likely widely with some coastal or exposed areas potentially seeing gusts of 70-80 mph or more.
“Strong winds will be combined with spells of heavy rain, these most frequent over western Scotland.”
The Met Office warned travel may be affected, with road, rail, air and ferry services anticipating some level of disruption. Some roads and bridges may close due to the high winds.
The forecasters also warned those visiting the coast to be aware of large, breaking waves and to be extra vigilant when walking near cliffs.
Storm Austen to bring ‘persistent heavy rain’
A yellow rain warning will be in place for the capital from 6am until 11.59pm on Friday.
The warning said: “An area of heavy rain will develop across southern and central areas of Scotland before dawn Friday in association with Storm Austen, extending over northeast Scotland during the morning and early afternoon.
“Accumulations of 20-40 mm are expected widely within the warning area through this period, with 60-80 mm possible in some locations, bringing flooding and travel disruption in a few places.
“The rain will turn lighter and clear from the west through the evening and overnight.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has also issued a flood alert for the duration of the storm.
The alert said: “Significant impacts from river flooding are possible throughout Friday and into the early hours of Saturday due to Storm Austen bringing consistent and heavy rainfall to the region.
“Impacts could include flooding of roads, properties and parts of communities and significant disruption to transport and infrastructure.”