Storm Amy swept across Ireland and the United Kingdom in early October 2025, leaving a trail of destruction, widespread power outages, and considerable disruption to daily life. The storm, which brought gusts exceeding 100mph in some exposed areas, resulted in the tragic death of a man in his 40s in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland, on Friday, October 3. According to Irish police, the incident occurred shortly after 4:15pm and was directly attributed to severe weather conditions. The man’s body was transported to Letterkenny University Hospital for a post-mortem examination, as reported by BBC and The Guardian.
Storm Amy’s impact was felt from the north-west of Ireland to the far reaches of northern Scotland, with both the Met Office and Met Éireann issuing their highest-level wind warnings. On Friday, a yellow wind warning blanketed the region, while an amber alert for damaging winds was in force for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Londonderry, and northern Scotland. The amber warning in Northern Ireland expired at 8pm, but the yellow warning persisted until midday Saturday. By Saturday, the yellow wind warning extended across the entire UK, underscoring the storm’s broad reach and severity.
The toll on infrastructure was immediate and severe. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in Ireland reported that approximately 184,000 homes, farms, and businesses were without power at 5:15pm on Friday, October 3. In Northern Ireland, around 40,000 properties remained without electricity at 9:30pm that evening, down from a peak of 65,000 NIE customers earlier in the day. Across the UK, about 42,000 homes were still without power on Saturday evening, as utility crews worked tirelessly to restore service. Fraser Wilson of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks told BBC Radio Scotland, "Work will continue this morning to get 62,000 people reconnected. We expect, because of the extent of damage to the network and conditions we are still going to be facing today, that this will take some time, [but] this storm is not over by any means."
Travel chaos quickly followed. Roads and railways bore the brunt of the storm, with numerous closures and delays. In Northern Ireland, the M22 northbound at junction two in Ballygrooby and Creighton Road in Dunmurry were closed due to fallen trees, and the M1 at Dungannon alongside Foyle Bridge in Londonderry were also shut. The Dungannon Road in Portadown faced blockages from fallen trees. Across Scotland, the Forth Road Bridge was closed to all traffic on Saturday, while the Tay Road Bridge reopened with a 30mph speed restriction—though it remained closed to high-sided vehicles, as did the Skye Bridge, Queensferry Crossing, and Clackmannanshire Bridge. A building collapse in Glasgow on Friday evening led to additional road closures in the city center, adding to the disruption.
Rail and ferry services were not spared either. ScotRail’s service delivery director, Mark Ilderton, acknowledged the extent of the disruption, stating, "We’re sorry to customers who have been impacted by the disruption caused by Storm Amy. Network Rail and ScotRail teams will work flat out to recover services as quickly as possible, but considerable disruption will continue through Saturday morning." Network Rail echoed these concerns, explaining, "Storm Amy has hit parts of the country much harder and more quickly than expected. We have experienced over 60 incidents on the network during the first two hours of the storm, with flooding, trees falling on to the overhead lines and debris on the tracks." Ferry operators, including CalMac in Scotland, canceled many routes, and several sailings between Northern Ireland and Scotland were suspended. Passengers were advised to check with Stena Line and P&O Ferries for updates.
Air travel was also significantly affected. Aer Lingus canceled all flights arriving and departing from Belfast City Airport on Friday, and delays and cancellations were reported at both Dublin and Belfast International airports. The disruption extended to sports and recreation, with the League of Ireland’s Men’s Premier Division fixture between Derry City and Sligo Rovers at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium postponed until Sunday. The United Rugby Championship rescheduled Ulster Rugby’s Round 2 fixture against Edinburgh Rugby due to the hazardous conditions. Even Belfast Zoo was forced to close on Saturday, and all eight of London’s royal parks—including Hyde Park and Richmond Park—shut their gates due to the dangerous winds. According to a statement on the royal parks website, "Due to severe wind gusts caused by Storm Amy, all of the royal parks, plus Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens, will be closed on Saturday 4 October. This closure includes all park roads and cycleways, cafes and kiosks, park sports venues, the Serpentine lido and boating lake, and the royal parks shop."
Schools also took precautionary measures. The Education Authority in Northern Ireland directed schools across Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh to close at noon on Friday, citing safety concerns. While most schools were expected to reopen on Monday, there was some uncertainty about potential ongoing disruptions, particularly if buildings or grounds suffered storm-related damage. School meal options could also be affected if supply chains were interrupted.
The meteorological significance of Storm Amy cannot be overstated. The storm set a new UK record for the deepest area of low pressure in October, with a central pressure of 947.9 hectopascal (hPa) recorded at Baltasound, Shetland, surpassing the previous record of 950.9 hPa set in 1988. The Met Office’s chief forecaster, Neil Armstrong, offered a sobering assessment: "Storm Amy will be an impactful autumn storm for many in Scotland and Northern Ireland, though impacts will also spread to north-west England and Wales, as well as a more widespread windy period for the rest of the UK. Within the amber warning areas, damaging gusts of around 100mph are possible for a time on Friday evening for parts of western Scotland, especially Skye, Tiree, Barra and western Lochaber. This could lead to significant disruption, and brings the risk of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees."
Rainfall compounded the hazards, especially in western Scotland, where totals were expected to exceed 30 to 50mm in just six to nine hours, raising the specter of flooding. The Met Office warned of difficult driving conditions, particularly for high-sided vehicles on exposed roads, and urged the public to delay travel if possible and to check conditions before venturing out. The north, north-east, Orkney, and Shetland islands faced continued yellow wind warnings through Sunday morning, with the Scottish government and emergency services maintaining a heightened state of alert.
As Storm Amy moved through, emergency services, utility workers, and local authorities worked around the clock to restore power, clear debris, and ensure public safety. Broadband provider Fibrus increased staffing and prepared additional teams to respond to network outages. Freight drivers were instructed to follow directions from port operators and police while ferry cancellations were in effect.
While the worst of the winds had passed by Sunday, the full recovery from Storm Amy’s impact was just beginning. With homes still in the dark, travel plans upended, and communities counting the cost, the storm served as a stark reminder of the power of nature—and the resilience required to weather it.
