Ireland's weather service has issued its most severe red wind warning for County Donegal as Storm Amy brings potentially life-threatening conditions to the island. Residents in the worst-hit area were told to "shelter in place" between 4pm and 6pm on Friday.
The unprecedented warning covers damaging winds that could cause fallen trees, power line damage, dangerous travelling conditions, structural damage and wave overtopping. Wind speeds are expected to reach up to 80mph along the most exposed coastal areas.
Northern Ireland schools close early
Schools across much of Northern Ireland were advised to close early as high winds brought widespread disruption. The Education Authority made the decision to shut schools from noon in the western counties of Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry due to an amber wind warning in effect from 3pm to 8pm.
"The alert applies to the period 3pm to 8pm today and is warning of a spell of damaging winds on Friday late afternoon and evening," the Education Authority said. "It has cited the potential for power cuts and damage to buildings, including a risk of injuries from flying debris."
Severe conditions forecast
The UK Met Office warned Storm Amy will bring damaging south to south-westerly winds during Friday's late afternoon and evening hours. Gusts of 60-70mph are expected inland, rising to 80mph along exposed coasts.
Forecasters said there is a "good chance" power cuts may occur, potentially affecting mobile phone coverage and other services. They warned there will "probably" be some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, and cautioned about risks of injury from flying debris and large waves.
Emergency management advice
Keith Leonard from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management emphasised the severity of conditions in Donegal. "If I had one key message it would be for that period from 4 to 6 in Donegal this afternoon, to ask people to shelter in place for that amount of time and to be very careful on the roads before that warning comes into place and after it's gone through," he told RTE's News at One.
Leonard said the storm will also feature "a lot of rainfall" and that fallen trees are likely to be a major issue. The Police Service of Northern Ireland advised road users to consider if their journey is necessary and to reduce speed if travel is essential.
Widespread weather warnings
Every county on the island is under weather warnings on Friday. In Northern Ireland, a yellow wind warning covers the entire region between 2pm Friday and midnight Saturday, with an additional yellow rain warning until midday Saturday.
The Republic of Ireland has a nationwide yellow wind warning from midday to midnight Friday. An orange warning affects Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo and Clare between 2pm and 10pm, with gusts of 119kmh recorded in Belmullet, County Mayo by 1pm.
Transport and coastal impacts
The severe weather has already caused flight cancellations at the country's airports. Poor conditions are expected to affect commuters with longer journey times and public transport cancellations anticipated.
A red marine warning is in place from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head between 2pm and 8pm. Met Eireann warned winds will "increase to storm or violent storm force" in western and north-western coastal areas during the afternoon and evening.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
