A man has died and hundreds of thousands of homes are without power as Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season, brings widespread disruption across the UK and Ireland. Irish police are treating the death in County Donegal as weather-related, while power outages affect approximately 184,000 properties in the Republic of Ireland and 50,000 in Northern Ireland.
An amber weather warning, indicating a danger to life, is in place for parts of Scotland until 9pm on Saturday. The Met Office has warned of winds up to 100mph in exposed areas of western Scotland, with gusts of 60-70mph expected more widely. In Northern Ireland, a 92mph gust was recorded at Magilligan, setting a provisional October record.
Transport has been severely impacted, with all train lines in Northern Ireland closed, and ferry sailings between Scotland and Northern Ireland cancelled. The Forth Road Bridge was closed to all vehicles, and flights at Belfast airports may be disrupted. Schools in several Northern Irish counties closed early, and the United Rugby Championship match between Edinburgh and Ulster was cancelled.
Network Rail Scotland reported over 60 incidents within the first two hours of the storm, including fallen trees on tracks. The RNLI urged extreme caution near coasts, warning of significant safety risks. Power companies have mobilised additional staff to respond to outages, but repairs may be delayed due to ongoing dangerous conditions.
