Wind and rain warnings as Storm Amy hits parts of UK

Storm Amy has swept into the UK, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to large parts of the country.

Wind gusts may reach more than 100mph (160km/h) in some areas as the storm sweeps in from the Atlantic, forecasters say.

The Met Office issued amber warnings for wind for parts of Northern Ireland which came into force from 15:00 BST and for western and northern Scotland from 17:00.

A wider, lower level yellow warning for winds and heavy rain has been issued for all of Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as large parts of Wales and north-west England.

Hundreds of schools in Northern Ireland closed early as a precaution. Ferries between Northern Ireland and Scotland, and several Scottish rail services, have been cancelled.

Northern and western parts of Scotland will be worst hit by the storm - the first of the season to be named. A Met Office amber warning will be in place until midnight.

Forecasters are expecting gusts of wind of between 60 and 70mph fairly widely, and 80mph in some exposed areas.

Some parts of western Scotland, particularly around Tiree, western Lochaber and Skye, could see gusts of 100mph.

If they do reach 100mph, Amy would be the strongest named storm in the month of October the UK has had since naming began in 2015.

Additionally across Scotland, parts of north-west England and North Wales a yellow severe weather warning for wind came into force from 18:00 BST on Friday until 23:59 on Saturday.

A Met Office yellow severe weather warning for wind has also come into force in Northern Ireland and will apply until 06:00 on Saturday.

Two amber warnings have been issued for strong winds, which is the second highest level of alert

Western Scotland and north-west England are likely to see the heaviest rainfall on Friday and Saturday, and many places could see as much as 40-60mm (1.5-2.3in) of rain within this period, with some places such as the southern uplands seeing as much as 70mm.

Those living in parts of Scotland's Highlands and Western Isles have been warned of a "danger to life" from flying debris, potential power cuts as well as road closures and damage to buildings.

Several ScotRail services and ferries were cancelled ahead of the storm's arrival, while some bridges will be closed to high-sided vehicles.

Scotland's Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "We are urging people planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights to contact their operators to find out if their service is affected.

"Motorists will face difficult driving conditions, so it's vital people plan ahead if they have to travel to see if their route is impacted by the weather."

The United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture between Edinburgh and Ulster, which was due to take place on Friday evening, has been postponed due to the adverse conditions.

Some ferry services between Cairnryan in Scotland and Northern Ireland were cancelled from midday on Friday.

Passengers are advised to check with Stena Line and P&O Ferries before they travel.

Northern Ireland's Education Authority closed schools in counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh from noon on Friday "in the interests of safety" due to expected high winds.

Aer Lingus flights both arriving and departing from Belfast City Airport on Friday were cancelled.

Storm Amy will move to the north of the UK through Friday night, when wind speeds are expected to be at their highest. A cold front will also sink southwards, bringing heavy rain.

Overnight, the winds will peak across Scotland as heavy rain sweeps southeast across England and Wales, before gradually easing later on Saturday.

But although Saturday will still be very windy, there will be a mixture of sunny spells and showers, most of them coming in across northern and western parts of the UK.

By Sunday, Storm Amy will have moved further out into the North Sea so it will be drier with lighter winds for the second half of the weekend.

The next storm name will be Bram. A new list of names is issued every year by the Met Office before the season starts in September with both male and female names chosen by the public.

Storms can be named by either the Met Office, Met Éireann or the Netherlands weather service KNMI when impacts are forecast to be "medium" to "high".