Storm Amy: Further disruption expected as weather warnings cover whole of UK

Storm Amy is expected to cause further disruption across the UK, with more heavy rain and strong winds forecast.

Weather warnings covering the whole of the UK are in place on Saturday and include alerts for both wind and rain, the Met Office said, after winds of up to 100mph were forecast for Friday evening.

It comes after some schools in Northern Ireland closed early, ferry sailings from the west of Scotland were cancelled and train services in northern Scotland were affected on Friday.

ScotRail anticipates that some disruption to services will extend into Saturday, and possibly Sunday, while Network Rail carries out safety checks for obstructions on the line and damage to any infrastructure.

An amber alert for wind is in place on Saturday all day until 9pm covering northern Scotland including Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands and the Orkney Islands where gusts of up to 85mph are expected, the forecaster said.

A yellow warning for wind is in place for all day Saturday until midnight for Northern Ireland, where gusts of up to 70mph are expected, while a yellow alert for rain is in place for the same area between 11am and 12pm.

The Met Office has also issued another yellow alert for wind which covers the whole of southern England and stretches up into the Midlands and Wales from midnight until 7pm, while a separate yellow alert for wind covers the rest of England, Wales and Scotland and is in place from 3pm until midnight.

Another yellow warning for rain, covering western Scotland, is in place from 12pm until midnight.

In the alert areas, the Met Office said power cuts, travel disruption and flooding may occur while strong winds may cause injuries and danger to life because of lying debris.

On Friday, a man in his 40s died in a weather-related incident in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Ireland, gardai said.

A provisional new October wind gust record for Northern Ireland has been set as 92mph winds were measured at Magilligan in Co Londonderry, the Met Office said.

On Friday, around 234,000 properties were left without power across the island of Ireland on Friday as the storm brought widespread disruption.

The Republic of Ireland’s forecasting agency issued its highest-level wind warning in Co Donegal on Friday, where residents were advised to shelter in place between 4pm and 6pm.

The red wind warning meant fallen trees, damage to power lines, dangerous travelling conditions, structural damage and wave overtopping.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the storm was “certainly making her presence known” across the country as winds in excess of 100mph were expected on Friday night.

“Thankfully, the really, really strong winds will begin to ease a tad as we go into the smaller hours of Saturday morning, but we are still going to be seeing gusts reaching between 70 and 90 miles an hour across northern Scotland as we go throughout most of tomorrow,” he said on Friday.

“Elsewhere across the UK, we’ve got warnings covering virtually the whole of the country, and even across the south we could see gusts reaching about 40 to 50 miles an hour in places.”

Mr Snell said that while the strongest gusts were expected on Friday night, high winds on Saturday could still potentially “bring disruption and also some damage in places”.

The forecaster added that those looking to travel on Saturday should check their routes, expect delays and, if necessary, amend plans.

Those in the warning areas have been advised to secure loose items outside their properties against strong winds and check whether their properties could be at risk of flooding and to prepare accordingly.

As of Friday evening, a yellow warning for wind is in place on Sunday from midnight until 9am covering the Orkney and Shetland Islands, Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Moray.