How Storm Amy is affecting the UK

Storm Amy is expected to cause lots of travel disruptions this weekend

Many parts of the UK are expected to be hit with strong winds and heavy rainfall over the next few days.

The Met Office, the UK's national weather service, has issued weather warnings for Storm Amy this weekend.

The storm will affect much of Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as northwest England and northwest Wales from Friday afternoon into Saturday.

An amber warning for wind has been issued for northern and western parts of Scotland.

It will come into affect on Friday evening and remain until 9am on Saturday morning.

Amber warnings are issued when there is a high possibility bad weather could impact people in lots of ways, for example causing travel disruptions, power cuts and rail and road closures.

In these situations, people are expected to be prepared to change their plans to stay safe.

Strong winds and heavy rain are expected to impact many parts of the UK

A separate amber warning has been issued for the western half of Northern Ireland, and will remain in place for five hours from Friday afternoon until 8pm.

Schools in Northern Ireland counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh were all required to close at midday on Friday.

Some schools in Belfast are remaining open as usual while others closed in the afternoon.

As well as rail and road travel disruptions, those travelling by ferry in Northern Ireland are likely to also be affected by the weather, with both delays and cancellations.

A yellow rain warning is in place across Northern Ireland until 5pm this evening.

People may be required to change their plans when the weather is really bad

How have children been affected?

The junior events of the Great Scottish Run have been cancelled

Lots of sporting events scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled because of the weather.

The junior and mini Great Scottish Run events in Glasgow which were meant to take place on Saturday have been cancelled, although the adult races on Sunday are expected to go ahead.

"We're really sorry to confirm that this year's Junior & Mini Great Scottish Run, scheduled to take place on Saturday 4 October, has been cancelled due to the forecasted high winds and rain," the event organisers said in a statement on their website.

"Safety of our participants, staff and volunteers is our number one priority.

"We know how disappointing this is, and we hope you can understand why this decision has been made."

The South Belfast Youth Football League, which is the biggest youth football league in Northern Ireland, has cancelled all its football activities this weekend because of Storm Amy.

The Mid-Ulster Youth Football League, thought to be about the third biggest youth league in Northern Ireland, has also had to cancel all its games, affecting more than 200 teams in total.

"The storms don't do any football any good, because every single league's in the same boat," Michael O'Kane, the secretary for Mid-Ulster Youth Football League, told Newsround.

"We all feel the effect of it. This was the first week of one of the cup competitions and it's all been cancelled. So it's a knock on effect for the next week and the following week and the following week."

Despite the disruptions, Michael emphasised that everyone keeping safe is the most important thing.

Many parks and open spaces in Northern Ireland are closed, with open air events such as sports competitions, markets and tours also cancelled in many parts of the UK.

How do storms get their names?

Did you know, storms are given their names by the Met Office?

This only happens when they're expected to have a medium or high impact.

The idea is that by naming them, people will be more aware about storms and the importance of staying safe when they happen.

It also means the public can follow what's going on more easily through things like the news and social media.

Amy is the name given by the Met Office to the first storm of the 2025/2026 storm season which began on 1 September.

We want to know if you've been affected by the bad weather. Have you seen your sporting events cancelled, are you unable to attend your clubs, or have your weekend plans been disrupted? You can leave us a comment letting us know below.