Storm Benjamin has swept across northwestern Europe this week, unleashing a torrent of rain, ferocious winds, and widespread disruption from the English coast to the heart of the Netherlands. The storm, which battered parts of England and the continent on October 23 and 24, 2025, has left a trail of flooded streets, transport chaos, and even upended local sports routines—reminding everyone that, sometimes, mother nature has the final word.
In Bournemouth, on England’s southern coast, Storm Benjamin’s arrival was impossible to ignore. With winds topping 40 mph and sheets of rain drenching the city, the Bournemouth Poppies football team found their usual training grounds at Victoria Park unusable. Undeterred, manager Phill Brown quickly improvised, moving his squad’s session to the Hands of Stone boxing gym. According to local reports, players swapped their cleats for sneakers and tackled a demanding circuit regimen: shadow boxing, battle rope waves, and body weight exercises were all on the menu. “He’s a massive asset to the club,” Brown said of midfielder Jake Cope, whose recent heroics have helped spark a mid-season turnaround for the team.
The Poppies’ efforts come at a crucial moment. After a tough spell without victories since August 19, 2025, and no clean sheets since August 12, the squad has finally found its rhythm. Their last two matches ended in wins, both without conceding a goal. The most recent, a 2-0 triumph over Wincanton Town, saw centre-back Jonny Davis head home from a corner just after halftime. Not to be outdone, Cope sealed the victory with a stunning strike from outside the box. As the team prepares to face Petersfield Town on Saturday, October 25, their resilience in the face of stormy adversity has become a point of pride—and perhaps a secret weapon.
But Bournemouth wasn’t the only place feeling Benjamin’s wrath. Across England, the storm triggered more than 15 flood alerts on the morning of October 24, stretching from Yorkshire in the north down to Norfolk, and along the rivers and coastlines of Kent, Sussex, and Somerset. The Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, initially issued a patchwork of yellow warnings for rain and wind across much of southern and eastern England, the Midlands, southern Wales, and up toward the northwest. By Thursday, only two warnings remained: a rain alert for Norfolk and Suffolk until 4pm, and a wind warning for East Anglia, London, and Kent through the night.
Travelers hoping to cross the Channel weren’t spared either. Ferry company DFDS reported that all services were running with delays due to the relentless winds. Passengers were advised to check in as normal, with the company promising to transfer everyone to the next available sailing. According to DFDS, “All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel.” The Met Office had warned that, at the storm’s peak, coastal areas could see winds topping 70 mph, with large waves and debris posing a real danger to life. Indeed, the Surfers Against Sewage live map reported dozens of sewage discharges across the affected regions, adding to the environmental challenges brought on by the tempest.
Deputy chief meteorologist Chris Bulmer offered a glimmer of hope for the weekend, noting that as Storm Benjamin tracks away from the UK toward Denmark, a blast of cold Arctic air would sweep in behind it. “Although many areas will see dry weather with sunny spells, it will feel cold in the brisk northerly winds. Showers are expected in the north and west, some of these falling as snow over Scottish mountains,” Bulmer said, according to the Met Office. Still, the agency’s chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks cautioned that “there is a greater than usual uncertainty surrounding the track and intensity of this low-pressure system,” urging the public to stay alert for rapid changes in the forecast.
Across the North Sea, the Netherlands faced its own share of chaos. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest international hubs, was forced to cancel more than 200 flights on October 23 as winds at the airport reached a staggering 75 mph. Some 32,000 passengers were impacted, with more disruptions expected as the storm lingered. The Dutch meteorological agency issued an orange weather alert for the country’s coastal regions, warning of extreme winds and urging caution. Schiphol’s website posted a blunt update: “Due to strong winds caused by storm Benjamin, flights will be delayed or cancelled from 18:00 onward.”
The ripple effects extended beyond air travel. Dutch football wasn’t immune: Feyenoord’s Europa League home match against Greek side Panathinaikos, originally scheduled for 6:45pm, was moved up to 4:30pm after forecasters issued a Code Orange alert for winds exceeding 62 mph. UEFA and the Rotterdam-based club agreed that the match could only proceed with the earlier kickoff to ensure the safety of players and fans. Similarly, the Conference League match between AZ Alkmaar and ŠK Slovan Bratislava was rescheduled from 9:00pm to 6:45pm local time.
For travelers caught in the crosshairs, the situation has been nothing short of exasperating. Ivalyo Danilov, CEO of SkyRefund, offered advice to those stranded by flight cancellations: “When your flight is cancelled, you are owed a duty of care by your airline. They must provide you a rebooking or refund for your flight as soon as possible, and if you are stranded for an extended period, they must also help you with food and accommodation costs. Unfortunately, weather events are considered extraordinary circumstances outside of an airline’s control, so passengers are unlikely to be eligible for further compensation if their flight has been impacted by the storm. However, in the following days, service disruptions following the storm may leave airlines responsible for compensation, so we encourage anyone with a delayed or cancelled flight to use a compensation calculator to determine if and what you’re owed in compensation.”
Back in the UK, the Met Office noted that most areas would see only 10-15 mm of rain on October 24, but some coastal locations could receive up to 30 mm during short, heavy bursts. The agency emphasized that the public should keep up with the latest forecasts, as the storm’s path and intensity could shift on short notice. As the yellow weather warnings were gradually reduced, the country braced for a chilly weekend, with the promise of clearer skies—and perhaps a few snowflakes in the Scottish mountains.
Storm Benjamin’s impact has been felt in countless ways, from footballers dodging rain in a boxing gym to thousands of travelers stranded by grounded planes. Its legacy, at least for now, is a reminder of just how quickly life’s routines can be upended by forces beyond our control—and how communities, teams, and individuals adapt, improvise, and carry on.
