Storm Amy, which formed as a distinct feature in the jet stream partly due to the interaction of Hurricane Imelda and Humberto in the Atlantic, will bring disruptive wind and heavy rain for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northwest England and northwest Wales from Friday afternoon and into Saturday.

Three Amber warnings for wind have been issued, with the differing timings reflecting the track of the peak winds from Northern Ireland through to western and northern Scotland from Friday afternoon through to Saturday.

The warnings highlight a danger to life, the possibility of power cuts, travel disruption and particularly dangerous conditions near coasts.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Storm Amy will be an impactful autumn storm for many in Scotland and Northern Ireland, though impacts will also spread to northwest England and Wales, as well as a more widespread windy period for the rest of the UK.

“Within the Amber warning areas, damaging gusts of around 100 mph are possible for a time on Friday evening for parts of western Scotland, especially Skye, Tiree, Barra and western Lochaber. This could lead to significant disruption, and brings the risk of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees. Elsewhere, gusts of 60-80 mph are expected more widely in the Amber warning areas, and slightly lower figures for those covered by Yellow warnings.

“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. A number of warnings have been issued covering the rainfall risk for the coming days.”

Storm Amy will be a notably strong October storm. Past named storms since 2015 have seen wind gusts reaching 80-90 mph. The highest wind gust recorded in the UK in October is 124 mph recorded at Rhoose, South Glamorgan, on 28 October 1989. The highest gust speed recorded in Scotland in October is 106 mph recorded at Salsburgh, Lanarkshire, on 18 October 1984. Both of these events were before the Met Office started naming storms in 2015.

North-western Scotland is typically one of the windiest parts of the UK and nearest the Atlantic storm track. It is possible some weather stations in western Scotland could record new October wind gust records. Get live updates on wind speeds during Storm Amy by following the Met Office on X.

With accumulating rainfall a particular risk in western Scotland, a chance of landslides has been noted by the British Geological Survey.

Claire Dashwood, Engineering Geohazards Geologist at the British Geological Survey, said: “BGS records show that landslides have been triggered in western Scotland by similar amounts of rainfall to that being forecast this week.

“Both natural and infrastructure slopes are likely to be affected with potential for disruption to roads and railway within the warning area, this could be particularly impactful in this area due to the presence of isolated communities and long diversion routes.”

Martin Thomson from Transport Scotland said: “Storm Amy is set to bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Scotland and we expect to see disruption to the transport network in the warning areas.

“The rain and wind will bring difficult driving conditions, such as reduced visibility and surface water, and are also likely to affect the ferry and rail networks, so it’s important to plan your journey ahead of time.

“Motorists should use the Traffic Scotland website before they set off to make sure that their route is available, and you should check with your operator if you are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights.”

David Morgan, SEPA’s Flood Duty Manager, said: “With the arrival of Storm Amy, we are expecting to see dangerous conditions around the coast of Scotland. A combination of large waves and high winds will bring danger to life on exposed coastlines, particularly around high tides.

“During this time, we urge the public to stay away from the coast, with the greatest area of concern for coastal flooding in the Firth of Clyde where there is likely to be flooding to parts of communities, disruption to travel and infrastructure and risk property flooding from wave overtopping.

“Heavy rain throughout the storm also has the potential to cause both surface water and river flooding. We continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7, updating Alerts and Local Flood Warnings as necessary.

“People living, working and travelling in affected areas are advised to consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared and stay safe, and to take extra care if they need to travel. If in doubt, then stay away from exposed coastal areas.

“We advise people to sign up to Floodline to receive free updates for where they live, or travel through, directly to their phone. People can also check our flood updates on the SEPA website for all the latest information and view the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead.”

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