Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) announced on 21 November 2024 that it is moving to Weather Warning status ahead of Storm Bert, which it says will bring a period of severe weather through Saturday 23 November and into Sunday1. The network operator says the forecast affects much of its distribution areas in the north of Scotland and central southern England1.
SSEN's current weather model shows a 24-hour period of heavy rain and high winds sweeping across those areas. Wind gusts are predicted to reach up to 52mph across some inland areas and in excess of 60mph along coastal regions1. The company says it is activating its contingency plans and bringing in additional teams to deal with any damage to the network and subsequent faults, which may interrupt customers' power supplies1. It is also contacting vulnerable customers ahead of the severe weather, sending out some 750,000 text messages to people listed on its Priority Services Register1.
"We're moving to Weather Warning status ahead of Storm Bert which brings a period of severe weather through Saturday 23 November and into Sunday."
SSEN says it will continue to monitor Storm Bert closely as it develops and will issue further updates depending on the forecast1. No power cut figures, damage estimates or affected customer numbers beyond the text message total have been reported1.
Why it matters for households
Households in SSEN's distribution areas in the north of Scotland and central southern England may see disruption to electricity supplies during the 24-hour period of heavy rain and high winds from Saturday 23 November into Sunday 24 November1. SSEN says the additional teams are being brought in because damage to the network and subsequent faults may interrupt customers' power supplies1.
SSEN is encouraging customers to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies. Its advice includes saving the emergency power cut number, 105, to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network, and visiting its Power Track website for details of power cuts and restoration times, where power cuts and network damage can also be reported1. SSEN also asks people who see damage to its equipment to stay back, not touch it, and report it by calling 105 or via Power Track, so engineers can investigate as soon as possible1. It encourages customers to follow its Facebook page (ssencommunity) for regular updates1.
SSEN says customers are eligible for its Priority Services Register if they 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 or aids reliant on electricity, or are over 601. The company says all its priority services are free, and the register can be discussed on 0800 294 32591. The Priority Services Register guide sets out who can join and what it provides, and the storms and electricity network guide explains what happens during storm-related outages. More general preparation is covered in the storms and snow hub and the power cuts hub.
What happens next
SSEN says it will continue to monitor Storm Bert closely as it develops and will issue further updates depending on the forecast1. The severe weather period is expected through Saturday 23 November and into Sunday 24 November 20241.
Storms and the Electricity Grid
