The Met Office has issued an urgent warning over oncoming Storm Amy.
Set to hit parts of the UK today (3 October), it’s expected that ‘gusts in excess of 90 mph’ will strike over the weekend.
There are currently amber and yellow warnings for rain and wind in place, with things gearing to pick up later this afternoon.
With this set to be the first named storm of the season, we’re in for some grim weather throughout Britain, with gusts of up to 70 mph to be felt ‘fairly widely’, while the ‘more exposed areas’ might experience winds of up to 95 mph.
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And the unluckiest areas of the UK set to see the worst of it? Northern and western Britain. Although, the north and west of Scotland in particular is set to be hit the worst.
Residents in parts of the Highlands and Western isles have been warned of a ‘danger to life’ from flying debris, potential power cuts, as well as road closures and damage to buildings. That’s as there’s an amber warning in place from 5pm tonight until 9am on Saturday for ‘damaging winds’.
With commuters across the UK warned of the possibility of widespread travel disruption, ScotRail has announced the closure of several railway lines in northern Scotland from 6pm due to the conditions.
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All of Scotland, the north of England, and the most western parts of Wales are also under a yellow warning for wind from 3pm until the start of tomorrow.
There’s also a yellow rain warning in place for the north-west of England, including the Lake District, from 3pm till midnight. And in Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for wind is in place from 2pm today until noon tomorrow.
“Within the Scotland amber warning area, gusts in excess of 95 mph are possible from Friday evening and into Saturday morning as Stormy Amy brings a risk of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees,” Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong warned.
“Gusts up to 80 mph are possible within the Northern Ireland warning area, more widely 60-70 mph gusts are expected in the Amber warning areas, in what will be an impactful autumn storm for many in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“Rainfall is an additional hazard, in particular over western Scotland, where totals could exceed 30-50mm in 6-9 hours, increasing the risk of flooding for some. Warnings will continue to be tweaked and amended in the coming days as confidence increases so stay up to date with the latest Met Office forecast and warnings.”
Jess Battison