STORM AMY has been upgraded to an amber weather warning, with Brits told to brace for damaging winds, power cuts and damage to buildings.
The Met Office has issued amber wind warnings from 5pm tomorrow, to 9am on Saturday morning.
GettyStorm Amy has been upgraded to an amber Warning[/caption]
Met Office The amber warning is in place from 5pm on Friday to 9m on Saturday[/caption]
This is in addition to the yellow wind and rain warnings that are in place from today until Saturday.
The amber warning affects most of Scotland, northwest England and northwest Wales.
Wind speeds of up to 95mph will hit western areas during Friday evening, before transferring northeastwards throughout the night and in to Saturday morning.
Those living in the affected areas are warned of travel disruption, particularly dangerous conditions near coasts and danger to life.
The Met Office said: “The storm’s evolution is being closely monitored, with its development influenced by the remnants of Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda over the tropical Atlantic.
“These systems have accelerated the jet stream, contributing to the formation and intensification of Storm Amy.”
Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Within the amber warning area, gusts in excess of 95mph are possible from Friday evening and into Saturday morning as Stormy Amy brings a risk of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees. Gusts around 60-70 mph are expected more widely in the Amber warning area, in what will be an impactful autumn storm for many in Scotland.
“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.”
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.”
Ahead of Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season, a yellow rain warning is in place from 5pm on Wednesday, to 23:59 today.
The warning covers areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.
The Met Office has said that wind speeds of 60-70mph are possible, even for inland areas.
Then tomorrow, as Amy hits, a yellow wind warning is in place from 3pm to 23:59 on Saturday, affecting the same areas.
A yellow rain warning will also be in place for parts of Scotland from 12pm to 23:59pm tomorrow, with Scots told to brace for transport disruption and flooding.
The UK Met Office has been naming storms since 2015 as a way of improving the communication of high-impact weather events.
This year’s names begin with Amy and will be followed by Bram, Chandra, Dave and Eddie all the way up to Wubbo.
There are no storm names beginning with a Q, U, X, Y and Z, which the Met Office said was “to ensure we are in line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming conventions”.
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