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Wind, heavy rain, snow and lightning can damage electricity equipment or make travel unsafe. A storm-related outage may also affect heating controls, mobile coverage and the ability to charge a phone. Keep your plan simple: check the warning, know how to report a fault, and decide what your household needs while the network operator works.

Read the warning for your area

Use the Met Office warnings and advice page to see the hazard, affected area and time period. Open the warning details rather than relying on the colour alone. The Met Office explains that impacts vary by warning and can include travel disruption, power cuts or danger to life. The UK Storm Centre brings together current storm information and related guidance.

A warning is a prompt to check your own situation. Look at whether anyone in your home relies on powered medical equipment or needs electricity for care, communication or heating controls. Review travel and school updates from the relevant service. Follow any instruction from emergency services or your local authority. Conditions and warnings can change, so check the live information again before travelling or making a decision about leaving home.

For a broader home plan, read the winter storm preparation guide, which covers household checks and travel decisions. The page on weather warning colours explains how to use the warning level together with its text. During an emergency, official instructions for your location take priority over general advice.

Why restoration updates can change

A storm fault may be brief, or it may involve damage that needs inspection and repair. Network operators can sometimes restore supply automatically after a temporary fault. If the fault remains, engineers must locate it and make the site safe before work can continue. UK Power Networks notes that the time to restore a storm-related outage depends on the damage found, from removing a branch to patrolling a line and replacing poles or cables. That is why an estimated restoration time can change as crews learn more.

Widespread storm damage can affect several parts of a network, roads and access routes. Crews may have to wait until weather and site conditions allow safe work. Do not read an estimated time as a guarantee. Check the operator’s current map, recorded message or text updates, and report the outage even if a neighbour has already done so. Accurate reports help the operator identify the affected area.

In Great Britain, the national 105 service routes you to the local electricity network operator. Use that operator’s own power-cut map for fault reports and restoration updates. You can also read National Grid’s power-cut information. The operator is responsible for the local network; your supplier handles your account and bill.

In Northern Ireland, use NIE Networks Powercheck to report a fault and review local information. Arrangements and support services differ by nation and network area. Follow the instructions from the operator that serves your address.

Report a cut and receive updates

  1. Check for immediate danger inside your home. If you smell burning, see sparks or suspect a gas leak or carbon monoxide, move to safety and contact the appropriate emergency service. Use 999 for immediate danger.
  2. Report a power cut through 105 in Great Britain or NIE Networks in Northern Ireland. Give your address and describe what you can see from a safe place. Do not go outside to inspect a damaged pole or cable.
  3. Save the operator’s map or phone number and check for updates at sensible intervals. Keep one phone available for essential calls. A battery radio can help if mobile data is unavailable, but it does not replace direct instructions from emergency services.
  4. If someone depends on electricity for medical equipment, use the plan agreed with their clinical team and equipment supplier. Contact the network operator and ask about its Priority Services Register. Ofgem explains that suppliers and network operators each maintain a register; see our Priority Services Register guide.

Use the power-cut quiz before storm season to check whether household members know the contact route and where the plan is stored. The household kit builder can help you record supplies and responsibilities. The official GOV.UK advice on preparing for emergencies also offers a general checklist, with local detail from your council and services.

Stay away from damaged electricity equipment

Never touch or approach a fallen wire, low-hanging cable, damaged pole, substation or anything in contact with a line. Treat every line as live, even if it looks quiet or the surrounding homes have lost power. Keep other people and pets away. Do not move a branch, vehicle or fence that is touching a line.

Call 105 to report damaged electricity equipment in Great Britain. Network operators publish this route for power cuts and network safety concerns. If a line is down or there is immediate danger to a person or the public, call 999 as well. Do not try to take a photograph from close range or drive through a flooded or obstructed area to reach the equipment. Wait for the operator or emergency services to confirm the site is safe.

Storm debris can also make roads and paths unsafe. Follow closures and local authority advice. If you are indoors, stay away from windows during severe wind and do not go out to secure loose objects once conditions have become dangerous. Read how UK Emergency Alerts work and keep your phone available for an official warning.

Check on people who may need extra support

Agree in advance how you will check on older neighbours, people with disabilities and anyone who uses powered care equipment. A text or knock can identify a problem early, but do not enter a building if you see smoke, flooding, damaged wiring or another hazard. Call emergency services where there is immediate danger. For other needs, help the person reach their family, carer, clinician, local council or network operator.

Keep the check practical. Ask whether the person has safe lighting, a working phone, warmth and the equipment or medicines they need. Do not assume someone is on a Priority Services Register or that the operator already knows about their needs. The person, their representative or their supplier can check the registration details with the relevant provider. Each operator describes the support it can offer in its own area.

If a storm causes an extended outage, decide whether staying at home remains safe and manageable. Consider indoor temperature, access to water and toilets, medical needs, the route out and whether transport is available. Arrange a warmer place early if needed. The winter warmth guide covers cold homes and when to move. Never use a barbecue, camping stove, generator or outdoor heater indoors to replace a lost supply.

Plan for backup power without improvising

A power bank or portable power station may help with selected devices, but it cannot be assumed to run heating, a boiler or medical equipment. Check the appliance instructions and seek advice from its supplier. A station must never feed a home through a modified plug or improvised connection. Read the portable power station guide and the Jackery and EcoFlow comparison for general product information, not equipment compatibility.

After the storm, wait for the operator’s update and look for visible damage before using appliances. Keep away from broken equipment and report hazards. If power returns and immediately fails again, report the new outage. Update your plan after you learn which contacts, supplies or arrangements were useful.

Sources

Sources checked 31 October 2026.