Storm Amy latest: ‘Danger to life’ warnings as UK to be battered by 95mph winds and heavy rain

Scotland is the worst-affected UK nation for transport disruption caused by Storm Amy, reports Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent.

Speed restrictions are already in place on the West Highland lines linking Glasgow Queen Street with Oban, Fort William and Mallaig.

Stretches of these lines will close at 6pm on Friday, along with connections from Inverness to Perth, Aberdeen, Wick, Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh. Passengers with tickets for Friday can use them up to and including Sunday 5 October.

Caledonian MacBrayne ferry links between Oban and the Hebrides are largely cancelled, with disruption across the network in the Western Isles. The ferry line says: “All sailings will be on a heightened risk of disruption or cancellation at short notice due to Storm Amy.”

No ferries will sail between the mainland and the Isle of Arran on Saturday. Many other routes are also facing cancellations.

The Caledonian Sleeper linking London Euston with Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William has been cancelled in both directions on Friday night, reports Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent.

Intercity passengers on Anglo-Scottish routes are being urged not to attempt to travel this afternoon. The warnings begin at these times:Preston to/from Edinburgh after 12 noon.

Preston to/from Glasgow Central after 5pm.Newcastle to/from Edinburgh after 4pm.

Avanti West Coast is allowing passengers with tickets for later trains to travel on earlier services.

TransPennine Express warns of “delays and short-notice cancellations in both directions” on links on the East and West Coast Main Lines.“Even though there may be some trains running, there is no guarantee that they will reach their destination,” the rail firm warns.

On Saturday, a “do not travel” warning is in place between Preston and Glasgow Central/Edinburgh all day, and between Newcastle and Edinburgh from 4pm.

The adverse weather conditions over the weekend will likely disrupt travel plans, especially in Scotland where gusts could reach up to 95mph.

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.”

The Met Office has said that Storm Amy will bring “disruptive” weather to much of the UK over the weekend.

In the parts of Scotland where there is an amber warning, the risk is higher, with the authority advising that conditions could bring “danger to life.”

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 Storm 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.”

The Met Office has issued weather warnings across all four nations of the UK for Friday and Saturday.

Yellow weather warnings for wind are in place for Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of north and north-west England and Wales.

These will all take effect from between midday and 3pm on Friday.

An amber warning will also be in place for a large part of Scotland, beginning at 5pm on Friday. This will end of Saturday as conditions “gradually” ease, the Met Office has said.

Here is a map of the latest weather warnings:

The first named storm of the 2025/26 season, Storm Amy is forecast to bring winds of up to 95mph to the UK over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued several weather warnings spanning several regions of the country on Friday and Saturday.

Yellow weather warnings for wind are in place for Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of north and north-west England.

An amber warning has also been put in place for parts of Scotland, with a warning of ‘danger to life’.