In the wake of Storm Malik's passage across northern Britain, tens of thousands of people found themselves without heat or light, reminded once more that the natural world operates on a scale indifferent to human infrastructure. Two lives — a child in Staffordshire and a woman in Aberdeen — were claimed by falling trees, lending grief to what might otherwise be counted only in outages and delays. Before restoration crews could complete their work, a second storm, Corrie, was already gathering at the horizon, promising to test both the resilience of the power networks and the patience of those
Storm Malik leaves 16,000 without power as Storm Corrie looms
Two people killed by falling trees: a 9-year-old boy in Staffordshire and a 60-year-old woman in Aberdeen; a man hospitalized.
Some customers may have to wait until early next week for power
Mark
So 16,000 people without power the day after the storm—that's the headline figure. But what does that actually mean for someone living in those areas?
Mimi
It means no heating, no light, no way to charge a phone or cook food. And it's January in northern Britain. For elderly people or anyone with medical equipment that needs power, it's genuinely dangerous. That's why the utilities are telling people to make alternative arrangements.
Luke
But here's what I want to know: the source says 80,000 were affected total, and 60,000 had been restored by Sunday. That leaves 20,000 unaccounted for in that math. Are some of those people in Scotland, or is there a discrepancy in how the numbers were reported?
Mimi
Good catch. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks reported separately that they had about 18,000 without power in Scotland. So the 80,000 figure from Northern Powergrid is just their territory—northeast England. The total across both utilities was higher.
Mark
And then Storm Corrie is coming the same day they're trying to fix things. How much worse does that make it?
Mimi
It's a compounding problem. Crews can't work safely in high winds, so they have to stop. And if more trees come down or more lines snap, they're back to square one. That's why SSEN warned some rural areas might not have power until early the following week.
Luke
The source quotes Glendinning saying "a relatively small proportion" will remain without power beyond Sunday night. But then it also says some people might not have power until early next week. Those two statements seem to be in tension.
Mimi
They are. I think what he means is that most people will be restored by then, but in the hardest-hit rural areas—particularly in Scotland—it could take longer. The second storm makes that prediction less certain.
Mark
Two people died. That's the other part of this story that matters.
Mimi
A nine-year-old boy in Staffordshire and a 60-year-old woman in Aberdeen. Both killed by falling trees. A man was also hospitalized. These weren't freak accidents—they were direct consequences of the wind speed.
Luke
The source doesn't give us much detail about those deaths. We know where and roughly when, but not much else. That's a limitation of the reporting.
Mark
What about the railways? That seems like a major disruption too.
Mimi
ScotRail pulled all domestic services from 6pm Sunday onward. Any trains that did run were capped at 40 miles per hour. That affects thousands of people trying to travel.
Luke
But we don't know how long that lasted. The source only tells us it was happening Sunday into Monday. We don't know if services resumed Monday afternoon or if it extended further.
The Pulse
- Storm Malik struck northern England and Scotland with winds exceeding 80mph, cutting power to 80,000 customers and killing two people — a nine-year-old boy and a 60-year-old woman — when trees fell on them.
- A day after the storm passed, around 16,000 customers in Northumberland, County Durham, and rural Scotland remained without electricity, with some warned they may not see power restored until early the following week.
- Storm Corrie loomed as an immediate second threat, forecast to bring gusts of up to 90mph to coastal Scotland on Sunday afternoon — arriving before repair crews could finish undoing Malik's damage.
- ScotRail suspended all domestic services from Sunday evening and Network Rail imposed a 40mph speed cap on any trains still running, rippling disruption across the transport network.
- Utility directors urged customers still without power to seek alternative arrangements, while field crews pressed to restore as many connections as possible in the narrow window of calmer weather before Corrie's arrival.
In the wake of Storm Malik's passage across northern Britain, tens of thousands of people found themselves without heat or light, reminded once more that the natural world operates on a scale indifferent to human infrastructure. Two lives — a child in Staffordshire and a woman in Aberdeen — were claimed by falling trees, lending grief to what might otherwise be counted only in outages and delays. Before restoration crews could complete their work, a second storm, Corrie, was already gathering at the horizon, promising to test both the resilience of the power networks and the patience of those waiting in the cold.
A day after Storm Malik swept through northern Britain on winds exceeding 80 miles per hour, around 16,000 people remained without electricity across Northumberland, County Durham, and rural Scotland. Northern Powergrid reported that 80,000 customers had been affected in total, with crews managing to restore power to more than 60,000 by Sunday — but director Paul Glendinning warned that some would remain in the dark beyond Sunday night.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks faced a parallel crisis, with roughly 18,000 customers still without power as of Sunday morning, concentrated in rural Aberdeenshire but spreading into Angus, the Highlands, Moray, and Perthshire. Director Richard Gough said full restoration could stretch into the early part of the following week and advised those still affected to make alternative arrangements if they could.
The timing was particularly cruel. Storm Corrie was forecast to arrive Sunday afternoon, carrying gusts of up to 90mph along exposed coastal areas of northern Scotland. The Met Office issued amber and yellow warnings of flying debris, structural damage, and dangerous coastal waves. ScotRail withdrew all domestic services from Sunday evening, and Network Rail Scotland capped train speeds at 40mph — a restriction that sent disruption rippling across the wider network.
The human cost of Malik was already painfully clear. A nine-year-old boy died in Staffordshire after a tree fell on him and a man near Tean; both were taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital, where the boy succumbed to his injuries. A 60-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Aberdeen. With wintry showers, possible snow above 200 metres, and icy roads also forecast, the sequence of storms threatened to extend the recovery well into the week ahead.
A day after Storm Malik tore through northern Britain with winds exceeding 80 miles per hour, roughly 16,000 people still had no electricity. The storm had swept across Northumberland, County Durham, and rural Scotland, leaving behind fallen trees, severed power lines, and roads blocked by debris. Northern Powergrid, which serves the northeast of England, reported that around 80,000 customers had been affected in total, though crews had managed to restore power to more than 60,000 by Sunday. The company's director, Paul Glendinning, acknowledged the scale of the work ahead and warned that some customers would likely remain without power beyond Sunday night—a grim prospect made worse by what was coming next.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks faced a similar crisis in Scotland. The utility reported that Storm Malik had caused significant damage to its network, leaving approximately 18,000 customers without power as of Sunday morning. Rural Aberdeenshire was hit hardest, though customers in Angus, the Highlands, Moray, and Perthshire were also waiting for supplies to be restored. The company's director, Richard Gough, said that crews had restored power to another 5,000 customers overnight and into Sunday morning, but warned that full restoration could stretch into the early part of the following week. He advised customers still without power to make alternative arrangements if possible.
The timing could hardly have been worse. Storm Corrie was forecast to arrive Sunday afternoon, bringing gusts of up to 90 miles per hour in exposed coastal areas of northern Scotland and 70 to 80 miles per hour across the north more broadly. The Met Office issued amber and yellow weather warnings, cautioning that flying debris could cause injury or death, and that trees and buildings would likely suffer damage. Andy Bilclough, Northern Powergrid's director of field operations, acknowledged the concern but said his teams would work as fast as safety allowed before conditions deteriorated. "We still have a lot to do but we have a large team out there now in what are currently perfect conditions," he said.
The disruption extended beyond power. ScotRail announced that all domestic services would be withdrawn from Sunday at 6pm to protect passengers and staff from the dangerous winds. Network Rail Scotland said that any trains running Sunday night would be limited to a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour, a restriction that would ripple through schedules across the country. The Met Office warned of large and dangerous waves around the coasts and travel disruption in multiple places.
The human toll was already evident. A nine-year-old boy was killed in Staffordshire when a tree fell on him and a man on Saturday afternoon near Tean. Both were taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital; the boy died from his injuries. A 60-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Aberdeen. The incidents underscored the raw force of the weather system that had passed through and the danger posed by the one approaching. As crews raced to restore power and clear roads, wintry showers were also expected across northern Scotland, with up to 1 to 2 centimeters of snow possible above 200 meters and ice forming on untreated surfaces. The sequence of storms threatened to compound the damage and extend the recovery well into the week ahead.
Notable Quotes
We still have a lot to do but we have a large team out there now in what are currently perfect conditions for the kind of work we do.— Andy Bilclough, Northern Powergrid director of field operations
Due to the extent of damage caused, coupled with the expected impact of Storm Corrie, we expect the full restoration of customer supplies from both storms to extend into the early part of next week.— Richard Gough, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks
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Climate & Environment