Storm Amy has unleashed havoc across Britain, with 100mph winds leaving several buildings collapsed, cars smashed by fallen trees, London parks closed and 100,000 homeowners without power.
Amid amber weather warnings from the Met Office, commuters have been advised of road closures, flooding and cancelled trains that are affecting large swathes of the country today, as the first named storm of the season continues to batter the British isles.
In Ireland around 100,000 properties and in Scotland some 62,000 homeowners are still without power after the unrelenting storm knocked out supplies.
And Storm Amy’s powerful winds have reportedly caused damage to several buildings and cars across the UK.
In Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, an entire flat roof was ripped away from a block of flats, while a derelict building collapsed in Broomielaw, Glasgow Scotland, covering a car in debris.
The Met Office said the highest recorded gust on Friday was at Tiree in the Hebrides at 96mph, while a provisional October wind gust record for Northern Ireland was set as 92mph winds were measured at Magilligan in Co Londonderry.
Across the north of Scotland, an amber warning for wind until 9pm on Saturday with yellow warnings covering the whole of Scotland, the north of England and north Wales until the end of the day.
A further yellow warning for wind runs until 7pm in the rest of England and Wales.
Further yellow warnings for rain are in place in north and west Scotland until midnight and in Northern Ireland until noon.
Traffic Scotland reported a lengthy list of road closures due to the bad weather with the Forth Road Bridge closed in both directions, while the Skye Bridge, Queensferry Crossing and Clackmannanshire Bridge were closed to high-sided vehicles.
The Tay Road Bridge reopened early on Saturday with a 30mph speed restriction and remained closed to high-sided vehicles.
A woman is caught by a large wave at Blackrock diving tower in Galway, Ireland as Storm Amy unleashes over the British isles
Satellite images from space show the formation of Storm Amy moving over the UK
Strong winds blew the roof off a block of flats in Cumbernauld, in North Lanarkshire, Scotland
The M9 eastbound near Stirling was among many stretches of roads closed because of falling trees, while the A78 at Skelmorlie has reopened after being closed for a spell overnight because of flooding.
ScotRail anticipated that some disruption to services would extend into Saturday, and possibly Sunday, while Network Rail carries out safety checks for obstructions on the line and damage to any infrastructure.
National Rail warned of possible disruptions throughout the UK on Saturday.
All services via Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street were suspended on Friday night and are not expected to operate until at least lunchtime on Saturday.
Network Rail Scotland route director Ross Moran said more than 60 incidents of flooding, fallen trees and debris on the tracks were reported across the network in the first two hours of the storm.
‘Storm Amy has hit parts of the country much harder and more quickly than expected,’ he said.
Avanti West Coast warned of ‘short-notice changes’ on Saturday and ‘strongly recommended’ customers making journeys north of Preston to check for updates before travelling.
CalMac Ferries said it expected services to be disrupted on Saturday, with many routes cancelled, and into Sunday.
A trampoline, battered and mangled by the storm, has blown away from the nearest houses almost 100 metres away and close to a main road in Inverness, Scotland
A building collapsed in Broomielaw, in Glasgow Scotland, covering a car in debris
Barriers were put up around the scene of the collapsed building, which was derelict
A fallen tree was spotted at Ravernet, near Lisburn, in Northern Ireland, as strong winds kicked up across the UK
TODAY: The whole of the UK is covered by warnings on Saturday as Storm Amy continues
The torrential storm has caused widespread power cuts and flood warnings which are likely to be affecting vast swathes of the country
The mammoth gusts of wind have even seen multiple branches falling onto Scotland’s rail tracks, including a ‘huge tree’ which came down onto the overhead lines in Drumchapel, according to Network Rail Scotland
Storm Amy impacts driving conditions on Friday on the M77 in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire
People at Blackrock diving tower in Salthill, Galway, on Friday as Storm Amy hit the UK
The M48 Severn Bridge between Gloucestershire and Wales was closed overnight because of high winds while parts of the A19 Tees Viaduct, the A66 in Cumbria and the A628 near Manchester were closed to high-sided vehicles.
Belfast International Airport said it was expecting delays on Saturday and advised passengers to check with airlines.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had 30 flood warnings in place on Saturday, with the Environment Agency issuing six in the north of England and one in north Wales from Natural Resources Wales.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) have also said they are still working to reconnect power to 62,000 customers.
As of 7.30am on Saturday, power had been restored to 16,500 customers, but thousands were still without electricity due to wind gusts in excess of 100mph from Storm Amy, officials said.
Fraser Wilson, of SSEN, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: ‘Work will continue this morning to get 62,000 people reconnected.
‘We expect because of the extent of damage to the network and conditions we are still going to be facing today that this will take some time, this storm is not over by any means.’
In the capital, all eight of London’s royal parks, including Hyde Park and Richmond Park, will be closed on Saturday because of expected strong winds.
In the capital, all eight of London’s royal parks will be closed on Saturday because of expected strong winds. Pictured: A sign posted to the gates of Hyde Park
Strong winds up to 100mph were recorded across the UK. Pictured: Revellers face stormy weather on a night out in Leeds on Friday
Cars attempt to drive through floodwaters in Galway, in the west of Ireland
A statement issued by Royal Parks said: ‘Due to severe wind gusts caused by Storm Amy, all of the royal parks, plus Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens will be closed on Saturday October 4.
‘This closure includes all park roads and cycleways, cafes and kiosks, parks sports venues, the Serpentine lido and boating lake, and the royal parks shop.’
It said opening times on Sunday will be delayed because of safety inspections.
‘The safety of visitors and staff is our top priority,’ the Royal Parks said. We’re sorry for any inconvenience that these closures may cause.’
In Ireland, a man in his 40s died in a weather-related incident in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, while around 100,000 properties are still without power.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and NIE Networks said that there were hundreds of thousands without power across the island at the height of the storm’s impact.
That number had fallen to just below 100,000 before 9am on Saturday, with 22,000 without power in Northern Ireland and 87,000 in the Republic of Ireland.
Crews warned it could take days before power is restored to every customer.
Storm Amy has begun reaching northern Europe, with a large tree seen falling onto a parked car in Gotheburg, Sweden, on Saturday morning
People were spotted struggling against the severe wind and rain in Malmo, Sweden
Storm Amy is beginning to wreak its havoc on the people of Malmo, Sweden with strong winds and sweeping rain
NIE Networks urged the public to stay clear of any power lines or damaged electricity equipment and report sightings immediately.
At its peak, Storm Amy caused a loss of supply to approximately 65,000 customers across Northern Ireland.
As of 8.30am on Saturday, 22,000 properties remained without power in the region.
Alex Houston, NIE Networks operations manager, said: ‘This is still an evolving picture, given the ongoing yellow alert, however we anticipate it may take a number of days before the restoration process fully concludes based on similar events such as Storm Darragh.’
The Republic of Ireland’s forecasting agency issued its highest-level wind warning in Co Donegal on Friday, where residents were advised to shelter in place between 4pm and 6pm.
A yellow-level warning for wind and rain Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo is set to expire at midday, alongside separate yellow-level wind warnings for Dublin, Louth and Wicklow as well as Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo.
In Northern Ireland, a yellow-level rain warning for the entire region which came into effect on Friday is also set to expire at midday.
The PSNI continued to urge caution as the storm recovery phase got under way.
A building collapsed onto a car in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday afternoon
A spokesperson said: ‘Storm Amy clean-up operations will be intensifying this morning as multiple agencies work to restore the power, water and transport networks for all users across Northern Ireland.’
The PSNI said ongoing warnings may lead to further disruption and complicate restoration efforts.
‘We are particularly urging road users to exercise extra care and attention when driving. Surface water, flooding, fallen debris or temporary restrictions are all a strong possibility.’
Much of the country will see an easing of wind and rain throughout the evening as the storm continues to move towards northern Europe, but severe gales are forecast to continue in north east Scotland.
A yellow warning for wind is in place from midnight until 9am on Sunday, covering the Orkney and Shetland Islands, Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Sunday is expected to turn dry and less windy with sunny spells for most areas, but outbreaks of rain are expected in the north west.