If you were out on Friday or over the weekend you’ll know about it. The Met Office named two storms back to back last week: Storm Austen, the first of the season, brought gusts of over 70mph to exposed coastal sites in the south-west and Wales on Friday, then Storm Boelo followed with amber wind warnings for Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and northern England on Saturday night and Sunday, with gusts of 60 to 70mph widely and around 80mph on exposed coasts.
It isn’t finished either. A yellow wind warning is in force today, Tuesday 27 October, for most of Scotland and the north of Northern Ireland, issued yesterday and running most of the day before easing this evening. Gusts of 50 to 60mph are possible quite widely, and 70mph or more on exposed coasts in the north-west and far north. The warning picture has changed every day since Friday, so I’d check the Met Office page each morning this week before you plan the round.
The knock-on is still running too. As of yesterday morning National Rail was still listing Northern, ScotRail and Transport for Wales as disrupted. For a caterer that means two things: staff turning up late, and venues, schools and offices changing or cancelling orders at short notice. If you do contract or event work, it’s worth a call round today to confirm tomorrow’s drops before you load.
A boxy, high-sided fridge van catches crosswinds badly, and that’s as true of a Citan as a Sprinter. In a warning area plan away from exposed bridges, coast roads and high ground, and build slack into the day. A slower round means longer with the chiller working, so pre-cool fully before anything goes in, keep doors shut at stops, leave the fridge running, and log temperatures more often than usual so you’ve got proof the cold chain held if a drop ran two hours late.
Give the van a look before you set off. After a weekend of 60 to 70mph gusts I’d check the roof, door seals and catches, and remember there’s more debris about, so more risk to tyres and the underbody. If something’s lifted or a seal has gone, we can sort it; better a quick call now than a van down on a Friday in party season.
One more thing worth remembering: power cuts at venues are a real possibility after a storm. A running fridge van parked outside is a usable cold store while a kitchen’s walk-in is off. If you’ve never tried it, find out now what your van’s standby or plug-in option is and how long it holds temperature with the engine off, so you’re not working it out at a hotel at 6pm with a wedding on.
Quick checklist
- Check the Met Office warnings page each morning before planning the round
- Route away from exposed bridges, coast roads and high ground in warning areas
- Pre-cool fully; keep doors shut and the fridge running at every stop
- Log temperatures more often than usual when drops run late
- Check roof, seals and door catches after the weekend’s gusts
- Know your van’s plug-in standby and how long it holds temperature
Also in the news
- Yesterday the Met Office issued a yellow wind warning for today across most of Scotland and northern NI, gusts 50 to 60mph widely. Source
- On 26 October the pub sector renewed calls for a VAT cut ahead of tomorrow’s Budget on 28 October, worth watching if you supply pubs. Source
- Also on 26 October, hospitality business confidence was reported at its highest level since 2024, a good sign for event bookings. Source
If the storms have shown up a van that struggles on a long day, these three suit a catering round, and you can browse the whole stock by temperature, size and budget on our website at https://grv4fridgevans.com, where every van has its own page with all its photos and the full spec.
- 2023 (73 Reg) Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 315CDI L2H2 Refrigerated Freezer Van: £41,995 +VAT
- 2026 Renault Trafic SL30 Advance Refrigerated Chiller Van: £29,995 +VAT
- 2026 Mercedes-Benz Citan 110CDI Base Cancelled Order Refrigerated Chiller Van: £30,495 +VAT
Call us on 01444 245555 to talk it through.
Sources: Warnings in place as Storm Boelo to impact UK – Met Office, weather.metoffice.gov.uk, Storm Boelo Still Disrupting UK Trains on October 26, Hospitality business confidence rises to highest level since 2024, Where were Storm Austen’s strongest wind gusts recorded? – Met Office, Storm Boelo: warnings in place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and north of England as high winds batter UK – AOL
