Storm Amy amber weather alerts kick in as UK faces 100mph winds with ‘do not travel’ warnings issued as people risk their lives playing in the surf

Passengers have been warned ‘do not travel’ after the Met Office issued an amber weather alert for ‘disruptive’ 100mph winds as Britain faces the wrath of Storm Amy.

Amber and yellow warnings have been extended to cover all of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, running from 11am today until 9am on Sunday. 

Meanwhile shocking images have revealed two men in Galway, Ireland risking their lives to frolic in the dangerous conditions by going for a swim in the sea at Blackrock Diving Tower.

Braving the torrential weather in nothing but shorts, they were seen ignoring a red weather warning in Donegal as they were engulfed by huge waves.

The amber warnings across Britain pose a possibility of power cuts, travel disruption and particularly dangerous conditions near coasts. 

Marco Petagna, a meteorologist for the Met Office warned the storm was ‘developing rapidly’.

A gust of 92mph at Magilligan provisionally sets a new October wind gust record for Northern Ireland, the Met Office confirmed.

They added the storm continues to bring ‘disruptive winds and heavy rain this evening, particularly in the north’.

While London faces 43mph gusts tonight, with a 19-hour warning active from midnight to 1pm tomorrow. 

The powerful storm is wreaking havoc across travel services as several trains on the ScotRail network were cancelled from 6pm today between Inverness and Elgin / Aberdeen.

Passengers will not be able to travel on these routes and there will be no replacement transport available, the rail operator warned.

Speed restrictions have also been brought in on all other Scottish routes from 7pm. 

Avanti West Coast issued a ‘do not travel’ alert for rail passengers heading north of Preston after 5pm today and all day tomorrow; while TransPennine Express issued similar warnings for routes north of Preston from 12pm and Newcastle from 4pm.

P&O Ferries cancelled some crossings between Cairnryan in Scotland and Larne in Northern Ireland, while Steam Packet ferries to and from the Isle of Man were axed.

It was forced to return to the UK roughly 18 hours ahead of schedule, canceling its scheduled stop at La Coruna, Spain, on Thursday in order to steam back to Southampton early following the Met Office’s warning. 

Meanwhile a flight from London City airport to Glasgow was forced to divert to Edinburgh as the storm wreaks havoc across Scotland.

Schools across Counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh were ordered by officials in Northern Ireland to close at noon for the safety of pupils and staff. 

Amy has undergone rapid cyclogenesis – also known as a ‘weather bomb’ – defined as when the central pressure of a low pressure system falls 24 millibars in 24 hours.

Events were also postponed because of the forecast, including the Junior and Mini Great Scottish Runs in Glasgow; Applefest 2025 in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire; Darley Street Market in Bradford; and Leominster Vegan Market in Herefordshire.

Tonight’s planned United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture between Edinburgh and Ulster at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh was also postponed due to the weather. 

Storm Amy is a separate weather system that formed to the east of Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, which have been heading across the Atlantic this week.

The remnants of the hurricanes influenced the development of Amy by accelerating the Atlantic jet stream and contributing to its intensification out in the ocean.

Imelda swept past Bermuda yesterday as the Category 2 storm downed trees and cables, before weakening to a post-tropical cyclone and moving off into the Atlantic.

Imelda had caused widespread flooding in Cuba and Haiti earlier this week, while Humberto dissipated on Wednesday after passing west of Bermuda on Tuesday.

Weather expert Dr Simon Lee, a lecturer in atmospheric science at the University of St Andrews, said Storm Amy had developed as a result of Humberto.

He told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland: ‘You can think of Amy a little bit like a surfer, which catches the jet stream – that band of fast moving air high up in the atmosphere that influences our weather.

‘Amy catches this wave to perfection and it undergoes a process called explosive cyclogenesis on Friday, which just means it rapidly intensifies.’

The Met Office said Storm Amy would be a ‘notably strong October storm’, with the highest wind gust recorded in the UK in October being 124mph at Rhoose in South Glamorgan on October 28, 1989.

The highest gust speed in Scotland in October was 106mph at Salsburgh in Lanarkshire on October 18, 1984.

Both of these events were before the Met Office started naming storms in 2015.

In the UK this morning as Amy swept in, commuters were warned about the possibility of widespread travel disruption into the weekend.

In Northern Ireland, the Education Authority ordered schools across Counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh to close at noon.

The ’emergency early school closure’ was activated for those within the amber weather warning area and taken ‘in the interests of the safety of children, young people and staff’.

The north and west of Scotland will be worst hit by the season’s first named storm, with two amber warnings for ‘damaging winds’ covering a period from 5pm today until 9am tomorrow.

Those living in the Highlands and Western Isles were warned of a ‘danger to life’ from flying debris, potential power cuts as well as road closures and damage to buildings.

All of Scotland, the north of England and the most western parts of Wales will also fall under a yellow warning for wind from 3pm today until the end of tomorrow.

A separate yellow wind warning will then come into force for southern England, the Midlands and South Wales from midnight tonight until 7pm tomorrow.  

A long strip of Scotland running from Dumfries up to the northernmost part of the mainland will also fall under a yellow rain warning from 12pm today to 3pm tomorrow.

A yellow rain warning is also in place for the North West of England, including the Lake District, from 3pm today until midnight tonight. 

In Northern Ireland, an amber warning is in force from 3pm today until 8pm today. 

It also has a yellow warning for wind in place from 2pm today until the end of tomorrow; and a rain warning will run from 11am today until 5pm today.

The Met Office warned of gusts up to 70mph will be felt ‘fairly widely’ while ‘more exposed areas’ could see winds of up to 100mph along with spells of heavy rain.

The highest gusts are expected this evening in some exposed parts of western Scotland, particularly around Tiree, western Lochaber and Skye. 

The forecaster said: ‘Storm Amy is expected to bring a spell of strong winds to many parts of northern and western Britain later on Friday and overnight into Saturday. 

‘South to southwesterly winds will increase during Friday, initially in the west before extending eastwards during Friday night. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are likely in many areas, and may reach 60 to 70 mph in more exposed parts.

‘The strongest winds are most likely across portions of northern and western Scotland, where gusts in excess of 90 mph are possible – this is covered by a separate amber warning for the Friday night period.’

Avanti West Coast urged rail passengers to avoid travelling north of Preston after 5pm today and all day tomorrow. Tickets for travel today and tomorrow will be valid all day today to allow people to travel earlier in the day.

TransPennine Express said services on certain routes would be subject to delays and short notice cancellations in both directions – including Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central / Edinburgh; Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central; and Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Those on the move today were urged not to travel in both directions between Preston and Edinburgh after 12pm; Preston and Glasgow Central after 5pm; and Newcastle and Edinburgh after 4pm.

Those travelling tomorrow were told not to travel Between Preston and Glasgow Central / Edinburgh all day; and between Newcastle and Edinburgh from 4pm.

The Met Office warned of difficult driving conditions at the weekend, especially for high sided vehicles on prone routes, such as crosswinds on exposed or high level routes.

It went on: ‘Winds will ease for most parts through Saturday afternoon, but will continue to be very strong for the Northern Isles and parts of the far north of Scotland through to the end of Saturday, before slowly easing overnight.’

Scotland’s Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop urged people to check conditions before travelling.

She said: ‘Motorists will face difficult driving conditions, so it’s vital people plan ahead if they have to travel to see if their route is impacted by the weather.

‘Travellers should check the latest information before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice.’

ScotRail is advising customers to plan ahead and check their journeys before travelling today.

It said some lines will close from 6pm today due to forecasted wind gusts and heavy rain, with no replacement transport.

The affected routes are, Mallaig to Fort William; Fort William to Crianlarich; Inverness to Aberdeen; Inverness to Wick/Thurso; Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh; and Perth to Inverness.

It said that on all other routes, speed restrictions will be introduced from 7pm until the end of service, to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: ‘Safety is always our top priority, and we’re working closely with our colleagues at Network Rail to keep people moving where it’s safe to do so.

‘The Met Office amber warning for high winds during Storm Amy means that some routes will have to close, and speed restrictions will be in place across Scotland’s Railway.

‘We know how frustrating disruption can be, but these measures are essential to protect our customers and staff.’

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

Police Scotland said a number of ferry sailings between Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway and Northern Ireland had been cancelled from midday today due to the high winds.

They are advising anyone booked on to any of the affected sailings not to travel to the area because long delays are expected, and said they should seek alternative travel options elsewhere.

Passengers are advised to check with Stena Line and P&O Ferries for updates on sailings.

Freight drivers travelling to the area are being urged to follow instructions from port operators and Police Scotland about accessing the site while the cancellations are in place.

Ferry sailings from the west of Scotland were said to be on ‘high alert’ for disruption into the weekend as Storm Amy sweeps in.

CalMac has already cancelled a number of services today.

A spokeswoman for the ferry operator said: ‘To ensure the safety of customers and crew, we have cancelled several sailings today and tomorrow, whilst others have been placed on high alert for further disruption. Some port offices will also be closed.

‘As circumstances and conditions can change at short notice, in addition to checking our service status pages for the latest information on each route, customers can stay updated via our text service and app.

‘Road conditions could also be affected in many areas, so customers should also consider building in extra time for their journeys to ports and ferry terminals.’

Police urged motorists to drive carefully.

Chief Superintendent Scott McCarren, Police Scotland’s head of road policing, said: ‘I would encourage people to drive to the conditions and be aware of increased stopping distances.

‘In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads.

‘Drivers of vehicles vulnerable to being blown over should plan their route to avoid exposed areas or consider cancelling your journey until conditions improve.’

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the distribution network operator for the north of Scotland, said it is preparing for the storm – with hundreds of additional staff ready to support the response.

SSEN’s head of customer operations for the north of Scotland, Nik Wheeler, said: ‘Our enlarged teams will be working throughout the weekend to do everything we can to minimise disruption.

‘The forecast gales are some of the most severe and sustained we’ve seen in recent years, and storm-force winds of this prolonged nature can pose challenges when it comes to fixing faults, as we can only work at height when conditions become safe for us to do so.’

Meanwhile a chance of landslides has been noted by the British Geological Survey.

Claire Dashwood, engineering geohazards geologist at the BGS, said: ‘BGS records show that landslides have been triggered in western Scotland by similar amounts of rainfall to that being forecast this week.

‘Both natural and infrastructure slopes are likely to be affected with potential for disruption to roads and railway within the warning area, this could be particularly impactful in this area due to the presence of isolated communities and long diversion routes.’