All flights departing from London Heathrow and Gatwick airports were canceled on October 26, 2026, due to Storm Boelo, which produced wind gusts reaching 85 mph across southern England and the Greater London area. The cancellations affected Heathrow’s short-haul flights extensively, grounding over 100 flights nationwide. Gatwick Airport officials warned passengers against travelling without confirming their flight status amid hazardous conditions caused by strong winds.
Flight disruptions began early on October 26, with air traffic control imposing spacing restrictions in south-east England that contributed to the complete shutdown of flight operations at both major London airports. Alongside air travel interruptions,
Network Rail Scotland reported flooding, fallen trees, and speed restrictions on multiple rail lines, causing closures and delays across Scotland. The amber Met Office warning for strong winds covered Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, and northern England, while flood warnings and alerts remained active in northern England and Scotland, issued by the Environment Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Severe weather conditions led to the cancellation of several key public events in London, including the annual Diwali and the Trafalgar Square celebrations. The Greater London Authority, following advice from independent health and safety experts, halted the setup and staging for
the Trafalgar Square festival due to heavy gales and continuous rain making the environment unsafe. The cascading effects of the storm also resulted in arrests and closures of major roads in Scotland, where wind gusts and flooding disrupted road and rail access.
Storm Boelo followed closely behind Storm Austen, which had struck the UK on October 23, 2026. The preceding storm caused gusts up to 76 mph at St Mary’s Airport in the Isles of Scilly and similar high wind speeds in South Wales and Cornwall. This sequence of severe weather events has imposed sustained challenges on UK transport networks,
particularly in the south-east and greater London areas during late October 2026.
