TENS of thousands are without power as Storm Amy’s 90mph gusts and torrential rain lash Britain leaving one dead.
The first named storm of the season has swept into the country with yellow weather warnings covering the whole of Britain on Saturday.
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Irish Police confirmed on Friday that a man in his 40s had died following a “weather related incident”.
While 234,000 homes were also left without power across the island of Ireland as Storm Amy brings widespread disruption.
The highest wind speeds so far have been recorded in the Hebrides Islands, Scotland, at 96mph with 92mph gusts recorded in Co Londonderry in Northern Ireland, say the Met Office.
An amber wind warning has been issued for the north of Scotland 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 yellow wind warning will run until 7pm for the rest of England and Wales.
Additionally, yellow warnings for rain are in place in north and west Scotland until midnight and in Northern Ireland until noon.
Travel chaos has also been sparked across the country with road closures and disruption to public transport.
Train operator, Avanti West Coast, warned of “short notice changes” on Saturday and “strongly recommended” customers making journeys north of Preston to check updates before travelling.
In Scotland, ScotRail suspended services on Friday night and anticipated the disruption would extend in Saturday and possibly Sunday.
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.
National Rail is carrying out safety checks for obstructions on the line and damage to infrastructure, warning of possible disruptions throughout the UK on Saturday.
Elsewhere, CalMac Ferries also said it expect many services to be disrupted on Saturday into Sunday with many routes already cancelled.
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The iconic Severn Bridge between Gloucestershire and Wales was also forced to close overnight due to strong winds.
While parts of the A19 Tees Viaduct, the A66 in Cumbria and the A628 near Manchester were all closed to high-sided vehicles.
Traffic Scotland has also reported a long list of road closures with Forth Road Bridge closed in both directions.
The Skye Bridge, Queensferry Crossing and Clackmannshire Bridge were also closed to high-sided vehicles.
They also reported a number of road closures due to falling debris and overnight flooding including the M9 eastbound near Stirling.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had 30 flood warnings in place on Saturday with the Environment Agency issuing six in the north of England one in north Wales from Natural Resources Wales.
Belfast International Airport said it was expecting delays on Saturday and advised passengers to check with their airlines.
All eight of London’s royal parks, including Hyde Park and Richmond Park, will also be closed on Saturday due to the strong winds.
In a statement on its website, the 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.”
“The safety of visitors and staff is our top priority,” the Royal Parks added.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience that these closures may cause.”
It said opening times on Sunday will be delayed because of safety inspections.
The Met Office said wind and rain was expected to ease throughout the evening for much of the country, but severe gales are forecast to continue in north east Scotland with a yellow warning for wind in place from midnight until 9am on Sunday.
Sunday is expected to turn dry and less windy with sunny spells for most areas, but outbreaks of rain developing in the north west.
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