PacemakerFlights and trains have been cancelled and a number of roads are closed as Storm Amy brings disruption to the island of Ireland and Scotland.
The Met Office has issued weather warnings for wind and rain and police have warned of surface water on the roads.
Belfast International Airport, Belfast City Airport and Dublin Airport have advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.
An amber warning for wind is in place on Friday from 15:00 until 20:00 BST across the western parts of Northern Ireland and later in Scotland, with gusts of 60-70mph expected inland and up to 80mph along exposed coasts.
A yellow wind warning for all of Northern Ireland has been issued, lasting from 14:00 on Friday until 23:59 on Saturday.
A further yellow weather warning for rain has been issued across all of Northern Ireland, lasting until 12:00 on Saturday.
The amber warning for high winds covers large parts of north and north western Scotland from 17:00 to 21:00 on Saturday.
A number of ScotRail and ferry services have been cancelled and some bridges will be closed to high sided vehicles.
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Due to poor weather conditions, trains have to run at reduced speed on all lines, a 50mph blanket speed restriction is in place.
Train services running across the entire Translink network may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until further notice.
There are a number of road closures across Northern Ireland, police have said:
- The M1 west-bound is currently closed from junction 12 to junction 14, due to multiple fallen trees. The on-slip at junction 12 is also blocked by a fallen tree, road users have been advised to exit the motorway before junction 12 if possible
- The M22 northbound at junction two in Ballygrooby is closed due to a fallen tree
- The Foyle Bridge in Londonderry is also closed due to high winds
TrafficWatchNIOn Friday morning, the Education Authority (EA) in Northern Ireland told schools in counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh to close at midday “in the interests of safety”.
Following the school closures, the EA thanked people for their “support and cooperation”.
“We regret the disruption that was caused, but would again emphasise that safety will always be our overriding priority,” the authority said in a statement.
“We very much appreciate that today has been a very challenging day for schools, pupils, and families, as well as for Translink and our own staff”.
They added that they expect the vast majority of all schools to open as normal on Monday, but some disruption may potentially be caused.
“Some school meal menu options may also be impacted if supplies are affected,” they said.
The yellow warning for wind is set to continue into early Saturday afternoon – and a separate yellow warning for rain has been issued from 11:00 until 17:00 on Friday.
The strong winds expected on Friday could bring down trees and cause large waves in coastal areas.
A yellow rain warning is also in place across Northern Ireland.
‘Everyone loves an early Friday’
At midday at Mercy College in north Belfast, corridors and classrooms were empty as students made their way home following the EA’s announcement about closures.
A-Level student Patrick was in his ICT lesson when he received the “unexpected news”.
While he said the closure was “unfortunate” given upcoming exams and coursework, a half-day does come as a small relief.
“It is a wee bit of a blessing,” he told BBC News NI.
“Everyone loves a wee early Friday.”
Rachel’s parents are both working, and with the “unexpected” closure, she was left figuring out a way back home and to work later on Friday.
“I didn’t even bring a coat with me,” she said.
While her Fridays are normally spent studying, the closure will prevent her from getting work done.
“Being in school’s good for me because I’m able to use the computers whereas at home I don’t have one,” she added.
“It’s good and beneficial for me to be here so leaving’s just a bit unfortunate.”
Principal Martin Moreland said making the decision to close the school at any time can be difficult as “there’s enough barriers” in front of young people trying to access education, but the EA’s directive was “well received”.
“When there’s a collective decision made across the board it allows everybody to make that move together in the best interests of children and their safety,” he said.
Mr Moreland said the school’s closure has been “very disruptive but health and safety has to come to the fore” and said staff acted quickly to ensure pupils were sent home safely, and those who avail of free school meals were fed before leaving.
Some councils will be closing council-run facilities early on Friday.
Speaking outside Altnagelvin Cemetery, which will also be closed early, local SDLP councillor Declan Norris said closures are in place for the “safety of the public and workers”.
“It’s safety first. In the last storm a lot of trees came down. We can’t have people being hurt.”
‘Severe’ gusts for Republic of Ireland
Six counties in the Republic of Ireland have entered a status Orange wind warning.
The Status Orange wind warning for counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo came into effect at 14:00 (local time), and is in place until 22:00.
A Status Red warning, the highest level, has been issued for County Donegal between 16:00 and 18:00.
The service is warning strong winds could lead to fallen trees, damage to power lines and dangerous travel conditions.
Met Éireann has warned that the storm will bring “severe and damaging gusts”.
As of 16:30 local time, a total of 58 flights have been cancelled at Dublin Airport, while 9 inbound flights have been diverted to other airports.
Some outbound and inbound flights are experiencing delays as a result of the weather issues here and at other airports.
Gardaí (Irish police) and emergency services are attending the scene of a serious injury incident involving a male in Letterkenny, County Donegal.
An Garda Síochána understands this is a weather-related incident.
Monaghan County CouncilA status yellow wind warning is now in place across the whole of the republic until 00:00 on Saturday.
A Status Red marine warning will also come into effect between 14:00 and 20:00, as Met Éireann warns of “violent” storm force 11 winds from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head.
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