A man has died in a weather-related incident in County Donegal, Ireland, as Storm Amy continues to batter the UK with 70mph winds and flooding. Irish police reported the incident in the Letterkenny area shortly after 4.15pm on Friday.
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning covering the entire UK on Saturday, with an amber warning for damaging winds in northern Scotland until 9pm. Gusts of more than 100mph have been recorded in some exposed areas, leaving around 42,000 homes without power on Saturday evening. Many railway lines and roads remain closed, and ferry services have been disrupted.
In London, all eight royal parks, including Hyde Park and Richmond Park, were closed on Saturday due to strong winds. A statement on the royal parks website said the closure includes all park roads, cycleways, cafes, kiosks, sports venues, the Serpentine lido and boating lake, and the royal parks shop. Sunday opening times will be delayed for safety inspections.
Storm Amy is expected to cause further problems in Scotland on Sunday, with a new amber warning for damaging winds with gusts over 90mph. Most of Scotland, except the east coast, will be covered by a yellow rain warning, while a yellow wind alert remains across the UK. A new record for the lowest October pressure in the UK was set at 947.9 hectopascal in Shetland, surpassing the previous record of 950.9hPa in 1988.
Travel disruption is likely to continue, with flights, rail, and ferry services cancelled. A building collapsed in Glasgow on Friday, falling onto a car and causing road closures. Power cuts have been reported in the Highlands and islands, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks working to restore power to 62,000 customers. Road closures include the Forth Road Bridge, while the Tay Road Bridge reopened with a 30mph speed restriction. CalMac ferry services expect many disruptions over the weekend.
The Scottish government has urged people to delay travel if possible and check ahead. Network Rail reported over 60 incidents on the network in the first two hours of the storm, including flooding and debris on tracks. ScotRail warned of considerable disruption to train services on Saturday.
