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Storm Austen brings rail disruption and sewage overflow warnings to South West
The South West's first named storm of the season has closed in with high winds and heavy rain, forcing train operators to warn of disruption as the Met Office's yellow warning took effect.
Storm Austen, the first named storm of the 2026-27 season, brought strong winds and heavy rain to South West England on Friday, 23 October, with the Met Office's yellow warning for wind covering southern parts of England and south Wales, according to the North Devon Gazette [1].
The Met Office named the storm on Tuesday, 20 October, after identifying a deepening area of low pressure sweeping in from the Atlantic, the paper reported [1]. Tom Crabtree, the Met Office's Deputy Chief Forecaster, said at the time that the exact track was still being worked out but that "an impactful period of weather" was clearly on the way, warranting the name [1]. He said peak gusts in excess of 70mph were possible on the most exposed coastal areas, with 50-60mph winds likely more widely within the warning area [1].
The Met Office said the low-pressure system would "rapidly deepen" as it was invigorated by the jet stream, with the storm's focus shifting to the South West late on Thursday before moving west to east through Friday, winds generally diminishing later in the day, according to [1]. Rain of 20-30mm was forecast for many places, with higher totals possible over higher ground in the west and further north, the Gazette reported [1].
The storm had been flagged well before the official naming. UK Weather Chase, a group of storm chasers that tracks developing weather systems, issued its own "Storm Watch" on Saturday, 17 October, three days ahead of the Met Office's announcement, according to [1]. Sam Whitfield, a Field Weather Expert with the group, said signs of a developing low-pressure system first appeared on Thursday, 15 October, but that forecasts several days out needed to be treated cautiously as track and intensity can shift significantly [1]. By the Saturday, he said, "it became increasingly clear... that there was growing agreement on a significant low-pressure system moving towards the UK," prompting the group to issue its alert [1].
Asked which areas faced the greatest risk, Whitfield said it was too early in the week to give a firm answer, though he suggested Cornwall, particularly the west coast and other exposed areas, could see some of the most significant impacts [1]. He said the risk to Devon would depend heavily on how the system developed and moved [1]. Whitfield also warned that coastal communities could be vulnerable if high tides and large waves coincided with the strongest winds, raising the potential for wave overtopping on exposed coastlines [1].
Great Western Railway and Network Rail were contacted by the Gazette regarding their storm preparations; their responses were not included in the report, and any resulting changes to rail services had not been confirmed by either operator at the time of publication [1].
The Gazette noted that a small shift in the storm's path could determine whether the South West experienced a blustery night or more widespread disruption, and that forecasters said they would not know for certain until closer to the time [1].
