Storm Amy upgraded to amber with 100mph winds bringing 'danger to life'

Key Points

Amber alert for Highlands, Moray, Argyll and Bute and Islands from Friday
Storm Amy to bring gusts of up to 100mph amid a danger to life
Power cuts and disruption to travel likely
Difficult driving conditions expected in the north of Scotland
A yellow warning affecting western parts of Scotland in place until midnight on Thursday

Storm Amy has been upgraded to an amber weather alert with winds of up to 100mph set to pose a danger to life.

The first named storm of the season will hit Scotland on Friday, with three Met Office warnings coming into force.

Storm Amy will bring heavy rain and gusts of up to 100mph within the worst-affected areas in the north-west of the country.

The warning covers much of the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland, parts of Argyll and Bute and Moray, and is in place until 9am on Saturday.

Yellow warnings are in place for wind on Friday and Saturday, and for rain on Friday for much of the country.

The Met Office said the “damaging” winds risk causing disruption to travel routes across rail, ferry and air.

Forecasters are warning of a danger to life from flying debris, large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

In the north of Scotland, difficult driving conditions are expected for high-sided vehicles on prone routes.

Storm Amy follows another yellow warning which came into force at 5pm on Wednesday and will remain in place until midnight on Thursday.

Up to 50-75mm of rainfall is expected in western parts of Scotland, while 100-150mm of rain could fall over the western-facing mountains.

Forecasters said up to 200-250mm of rainfall is expected from Tuesday through Thursday in the worst-affected mountain areas. Strong spells of wind are also expected.

The warning covers much of the west coast of Scotland, impacting Perth and Kinross, Stirling, the Highlands, Western Isles, Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Scotland

Heavy rain to batter parts of Scotland as three flood alerts issued

The warning, which comes into force at 5pm on Wednesday, covers most of western Scotland.

There is a risk of landslides across the country during the warning.

SEPA has issued red flood warnings for Kilbirnie and Glengarnock, Dalry and Kilwinning. Amber flood alerts in Skye and Lochaber, Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Arran and Wester Ross, are also in place.

The public has been warned to expect delays to public transport, spray and flooding on roads, as well as potential power cuts and flooding in homes and businesses.

Some communities may be cut off by flooded roads, and there is a chance that fast-flowing or deep floodwater could result in a danger to life, the Met Office added.

Insight Sean Batty STV News Meterologist

It’s looked likely since the start of the week that this system would become a named storm, but forecasters needed greater agreement between computer models before confirming a deep low would form. While there’s still some uncertainty over the exact track, the latest guidance suggests Storm Amy is set to track across the far north of the country — putting much of Scotland at risk of damaging winds from Friday night into Saturday.

If the current forecast holds, we could see gusts of 60–70 mph even in more populated areas of the mainland, with exposed parts of the northwest potentially experiencing gusts nearing 90 mph.

Amy will also bring more rainfall to areas already expecting heavy rain in the coming days, particularly in the west. This raises the risk of further flooding, with cumulative totals from Wednesday to Saturday possibly exceeding 100mm in parts of the western Highlands — equivalent to two to three weeks’ worth of rain in just a few days.

In addition, Amy is likely to trigger the first significant leaf fall of the season. This could lead to blocked drains and exacerbate surface water flooding in some locations.