Final Storm Isha customers restored by Northern Powergrid

Northern Powergrid said power had been restored to all customers disrupted by Storm Isha by the afternoon of 23 January 2024, and that its teams were ready for Storm Jocelyn¹. In an update published on 24 January, the network operator said this response came on the back of restoring the final remaining customers affected by Storm Isha the previous afternoon².

Storm Isha brought winds of over 70mph overnight, with highs of 99mph recorded at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland, and affected approximately 32,479 customers, with customers in Northumberland most impacted³. By the morning of 22 January, power had been restored to over 25,260 customers, or 84% of those affected³. Storm Jocelyn, the second named storm in four days, then brought strong winds overnight and during 24 January and caused disruption to power supplies for more than 30,000 customers across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire². Northern Powergrid reported that it had reconnected 28,500 customers and was working to restore 1,700 customers, most in the North Yorkshire region, aiming to get all affected customers back on supply by that evening⁴. By 10pm on Wednesday 24 January, it said power had been successfully restored to all customers affected by Storm Jocelyn².

In the north of Scotland, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution said that as of 9.45pm on 22 January it had restored supplies to more than 36,000 homes, with just under 800 customers still off supply⁵. The remaining customers by district were:

SSEN said full restoration would not be possible for all customers that night because of fallen trees and road closures⁵. By 12 noon on 23 January, supplies had been restored to more than 37,000 customers, with work continuing to reconnect the 370 remaining properties⁶. SSEN said Storm Jocelyn was forecast to bring gusts peaking at 75mph around 1am on Wednesday, with the worst of the winds passed by 9am⁶. After Jocelyn, SSEN said a gust of 74mph was recorded in South Uist at around 10pm, and that as of 5pm on 24 January supplies had been restored to 7,000 customers, with fewer than 100 properties still off supply, expected to be reconnected by the end of the evening⁷.

Why it matters for households

The disruption affected households across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, and the north of Scotland, over four days². Northern Powergrid said its support teams handled more than 5,400 calls from customers off supply due to the two storms, and that its customer support vehicles moved around the worst affected communities providing welfare services including hot drinks and phone charging facilities². SSEN said customers without power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day off supply to cover food and drink, with receipts kept and costs claimed back through its storm claim page⁶. SSEN also said customers on its Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if they are expected to be without power for over 24 hours, and that if a power cut is estimated to last beyond 48 hours all customers can benefit from this support⁶.

Both operators asked customers to report damage or safety issues with equipment by calling 105, and warned people to stay back and not touch damaged equipment⁶. Northern Powergrid encouraged anyone who may be more vulnerable in a power cut due to medical or personal circumstances, and who has not joined its free Priority Services Membership, to join². SSEN lists eligibility for its Priority Services Register as including people who are deaf or hard of hearing, have a disability, live with children under five, are blind or partially sighted, have a chronic illness, use medical equipment reliant on electricity, or are over 60, and says all its priority services are free⁷. Our guides on storms and the electricity network and the Priority Services Register explain how these arrangements work, and the power cuts hub covers what happens during a loss of supply.

What happens next

Northern Powergrid said the final customers affected by Storm Jocelyn were restored as at 10pm on Wednesday 24 January 2024². SSEN said the fewer than 100 properties still off supply at 5pm on 24 January were expected to be reconnected by the end of that evening⁷. No further restoration dates have been reported.