Man dies as Storm Amy batters UK and Ireland with 90mph winds causing travel chaos and leaving 100k without power

Much of the country was covered by weather alerts as the Met Office issued guidance, with wind gusts coming close to 100mph striking the UK on Friday night.

Authorities in Ireland have confirmed a man in his 40s has died in Letterkenny, County Donegal, in what is being treated as a "weather-related" incident.

Around 100,000 properties still remain without power as a cleanup after Storm Amy got under way across Ireland on Saturday morning.

The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and NIE Networks said that there were hundreds of thousands without power across the island at the height of the storm’s impact.

That number had fallen to just below 100,000 before 9am on Saturday, with 22,000 without power in Northern Ireland and 87,000 in the Republic of Ireland.

Over 60,000 thousand homes are without power in Scotland, according to Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN).

Crews warned it could take days before power is restored to every customer.

As Storm Amy hit the rest of the UK, Traffic Scotland reported a lengthy list of road closures due to the bad weather with the Forth Road Bridge closed in both directions, while the Skye Bridge, Queensferry Crossing and Clackmannanshire Bridge were closed to high-sided vehicles.

The Tay Road Bridge reopened early on Saturday with a 30mph speed restriction and remained closed to high-sided vehicles.

Read more: Man seriously injured and 234,000 without power across Ireland as Storm Amy arrives

Read more: Storm Amy brings 100mph wind and rain across UK as schools closed

The M9 eastbound near Stirling was among many stretches of roads closed because of falling trees, while the A78 at Skelmorlie has reopened after being closed for a spell overnight because of flooding.

ScotRail anticipated that some disruption to services would extend into Saturday, and possibly Sunday, while Network Rail carries out safety checks for obstructions on the line and damage to any infrastructure. All ScotRail services out of Glasgow Central are cancelled until 'at least lunchtime'.

National Rail warned of possible disruptions throughout the UK on Saturday.

All services via Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street were suspended on Friday night and are not expected to operate until at least lunchtime on Saturday.

Network Rail Scotland route director Ross Moran said more than 60 incidents of flooding, fallen trees and debris on the tracks were reported across the network in the first two hours of the storm.“

Storm Amy has hit parts of the country much harder and more quickly than expected,” he said.

Avanti West Coast warned of “short-notice changes” on Saturday and “strongly recommended” customers making journeys north of Preston to check for updates before travelling.

CalMac Ferries said it expected many services to be disrupted on Saturday, with many routes cancelled, and into Sunday.

The M48 Severn Bridge between Gloucestershire and Wales was closed overnight because of high winds while parts of the A19 Tees Viaduct, the A66 in Cumbria and the A628 near Manchester were closed to high-sided vehicles.

Belfast International Airport said it was expecting delays on Saturday and advised passengers to check with airlines.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had 30 flood warnings in place on Saturday, with the Environment Agency issuing six in the north of England and one in north Wales from Natural Resources Wales.

The Met Office said the highest recorded gust on Friday was at Tiree in the Hebrides at 96mph, while a provisional October wind gust record for Northern Ireland was set as 92mph winds were measured at Magilligan in Co Londonderry.

The north of Scotland was covered by an amber warning for wind until 9pm on Saturday with yellow warnings covering the whole of Scotland, the north of England and north Wales until the end of the day. A further yellow warning for wind runs until 7pm in the rest of England and Wales.

Further yellow warnings for rain are in place in north and west Scotland until midnight and in Northern Ireland until noon.

On Friday, a man in his 40s died in a weather-related incident in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Ireland, gardai said.On Friday, around 234,000 properties were left without power across the island of Ireland on Friday as the storm brought widespread disruption.

The Republic of Ireland’s forecasting agency issued its highest-level wind warning in Co Donegal on Friday, where residents were advised to shelter in place between 4pm and 6pm.

The Met Office said wind and rain was expected to ease throughout the evening for much of the country, but severe gales are forecast to continue in north east Scotland with a yellow warning for wind in place from midnight until 9am on Sunday, covering the Orkney and Shetland Islands, Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

Sunday is expected to turn dry and less windy with sunny spells for most areas, but outbreaks of rain developing in the north west.