Storm Austen cuts power across Britain and France as Boelo approaches

The first warnings came on October 19, when the Met Office forecast winds of up to 70mph across a large part of England and Wales, according to The Independent.

Austen was officially named on October 20 and was forecast to arrive on Thursday night with strong winds and heavy rain, the Daily Mail reported. The initial warnings developed into an amber wind warning for South West England on Friday, with gusts of up to 80mph expected, according to Sky News.

By October 21, the warnings extended beyond wind. A yellow rain warning covered a large part of Scotland from 6am on Friday until 3am on Saturday, with flooding a concern, the Express & Star reported.

On October 22, France was preparing for Austen to arrive through Brittany that evening, then spread into Normandy and the wider northwest on Friday. Franceinfo reported forecasts of winds up to 140km/h and extensive train cancellations. Le Monde reported that 15 departments were under orange wind alerts for Friday, with rail services to be suspended in Normandy and partly suspended in Brittany and northern France.

On October 23, the storm brought huge waves, uprooted trees and damaged boats. Gusts reached 160km/h in Brittany, while fallen branches blocked roads in southern England, according to Euronews.

The French power outage figures rose through Friday's coverage. Le Monde reported more than 160,000 homes without electricity and 23 departments under orange alerts. By mid-afternoon, Franceinfo reported 288,600 homes without power, airport and rail disruption, and 10 departments still under orange wind alerts.

In Britain, schools closed and thousands of homes lost electricity in South West England, The Guardian reported. Later coverage from the BBC put outages at more than 15,000 homes across southern England and Wales, with gusts reaching 84mph.

By October 24, thousands remained without power in the UK as a second storm approached, according to the BBC. The supplied coverage gives no later French restoration total than Friday afternoon's figure of 288,600 homes without electricity.

The immediate weather threat is shifting north. Amber warnings cover much of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland and northern England as Storm Boelo approaches, the BBC reported. Forecasters expect winds of up to 80mph in northern Britain over the weekend, according to Sky News.

Power restoration remains an immediate concern, with thousands still disconnected as Boelo approaches, according to the BBC. In France, rail disruption had also been expected to continue into Saturday, Le Monde reported.

Boelo's arrival brings a fresh risk of disruption rather than a clear break after Austen. Sky News reported forecasts of rain and winds up to 80mph, while GB News reported warnings of major travel disruption as the storm heads towards Scotland.