England's coast ravaged by Storm Austen. Enter Boelo. Credit: S Royale & Airbus X
Storm Austen has battered southern Britain with powerful winds and heavy rain, bringing travel disruption and damaging coastal landmarks, including part of Brighton’s historic West Pier, which has collapsed into the sea.
Footage published on Friday, October 23, shows a section of the Victorian structure falling into the water as strong winds and rough seas hit the Sussex coast.
We have just lost a big part of the West Pier #Brighton to #StormAusten @StormHour @brightonargus https://t.co/2Eq7LuecCC
— Stephen Royle (@Steveontour2) October 23, 2026
The West Pier opened in 1866 but closed to the public in 1975 after years of deterioration. Two arson attacks in 2003 destroyed hopes of restoring the Grade I-listed structure, which has since continued to deteriorate.
The West Pier Trust has warned that the remains are dangerous and should not be approached.
Flights cancelled as Storm Austen hits Britain
Storms are bringing strong and gusting winds to London’s Heathrow Airport. Our automated live stream camera is capturing this afternoon’s action at https://t.co/LRbNtXgYTX https://t.co/sT2JjgOUGr
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 23, 2026
The storm, the first named storm of the 2026/27 season, has brought gusts approaching 80 mph to exposed parts of south-west England.
The Met Office issued an amber weather warning for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, warning that damaging winds could cause flying debris, power cuts and disruption to transport.
Air travel has also been affected. Loganair cancelled 18 flights involving routes connecting Jersey, Bristol, Manchester, Newquay and Exeter, while other services faced disruption.
Rail passengers have also encountered problems, with fallen trees blocking lines and operators warning of cancellations and longer journey times. Ferry services across the English Channel have been affected, including sailings between Dover and Calais.
More than 16,000 homes were reported to have lost electricity during the storm, while fallen trees and debris caused problems on roads across south-west England.
Although disruption has been confirmed at several UK airports, there is not yet clear evidence of widespread cancellations specifically affecting flights between Britain and Spain.
British residents and holidaymakers travelling between the two countries should check directly with their airlines before setting off.
Second storm threatens more disruption
The difficult weather is not expected to end with Storm Austen. The Met Office has issued further amber wind warnings ahead of Storm Boelo, which is forecast to affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England from Saturday evening into Sunday. Gusts could reach 70–80mph in exposed coastal areas, raising the risk of further damage, power cuts and transport disruption.
💨 Storms Austen and Boelo to bring severe weather to northwestern Europe
Two powerful Atlantic storms, Austen and Boelo, will bring very strong winds, heavy rainfall and rough seas to northwestern Europe from Thursday evening through the weekend.
🌀 Storm Austen is undergoing explosive cyclogenesis as it approaches Ireland and the UK. A strong jet stream over the Atlantic is contributing to its rapid deepening.
Overnight into Friday, Austen will mainly affect southern and eastern Ireland before moving along the English Channel, with severe weather expected across southern England and northern and northwestern France.
Wind gusts may reach 110–130 km/h (70–80 mph) in exposed areas. Falling trees, power outages and transport disruption are possible. Large waves are also expected along the coasts of Ireland, Brittany, Wales and southern England.
The storm will also bring heavy rainfall, with totals of 20–40 mm, locally reaching 60–80 mm. This could lead to localised flooding.
By Friday afternoon, the storm will move over the southern North Sea, extending its impacts to the Benelux countries and northwestern Germany.
🌀 Storm Boelo is currently developing over the Atlantic and is expected to deepen significantly on Friday and Saturday. From Saturday into Sunday, it will bring another round of heavy rainfall and very strong winds, mainly affecting Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.
⚠️ Damaging winds, dangerous coastal conditions and localised flooding are expected. Stay up to date with the latest weather warnings.
— Windy.com (@Windycom) October 22, 2026
Travellers heading to UK airports, railway stations or ferry terminals over the weekend are advised to check the latest service information before travelling.
With two named storms bringing successive spells of severe weather, disruption could continue into the weekend even after conditions begin to improve in southern England.