Trains and ferries faced cancellations and events were delayed amid ‘do not travel’ advisories as Storm Amy approached Britain with intense rain and winds reaching up to 95mph today.
Amber and yellow alerts are in effect across northern England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, starting at 11am today and continuing until the end of tomorrow.
Amy has rapidly intensified, a phenomenon termed a ‘weather bomb,’ which occurs when the central pressure of a low-pressure system decreases by 24 millibars within 24 hours.
Avanti West Coast has announced a ‘do not travel’ warning for rail passengers traveling north of Preston after 5pm today and throughout tomorrow. TransPennine Express has also issued similar advisories for routes north of Preston starting at 12pm and from Newcastle at 4pm.
ScotRail indicated that several railways in the Highlands will be out of service from 6pm this evening, with speed limitations applied to all other Scottish routes starting at 7pm.
P&O Ferries called off certain sailings between Cairnryan in Scotland and Larne in Northern Ireland, and Steam Packet ferries to and from the Isle of Man have been canceled.
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.
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.
TODAY: The Met Office has issued a series of amber and yellow warnings across the UK
TOMORROW: Many of the warnings extend into Saturday as the storm sweeps across the UK
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 Category 2 storm as it 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.’
In the UK this morning as Amy swept in, commuters were warned about the possibility of widespread travel disruption into the weekend.
The north and west of Scotland will be worst hit by the season’s first named storm, with an amber warning for ‘damaging winds’ 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 satellite view shows Hurricane Imelda looming off the US South East Coast on Wednesday
A long strip of Scotland running from Dumfries up to the northern-most 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, a yellow warning for wind is in place from 2pm today until noon 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 95mph along with spells of heavy rain across the country.
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.
A car damaged by a wall that fell as Hurricane Imelda struck Hamilton in Bermuda yesterday
Waves from Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda hit a home in Buxton, North Carolina, on Tuesday
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 forecast 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 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.’
