Rebekah Wilson and Jessica LawrenceBBC News NI
Pacemaker
Motorists had to contend with difficult driving conditions near Belfast
Hundreds of schools have closed and events have been cancelled as Storm Amy brings disruption to Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Met Office has issued weather warnings for wind and rain and police have warned of surface water on the roads.
On 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”.
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 warning is in place for Armagh and Down.
A yellow rain warning is also in place across Northern Ireland.
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.
Two amber warnings have been issued for strong winds, which is the second highest level of alert. The alert for parts of Northern Ireland comes into force at 15:00 and 17:00 for parts of Scotland
‘Everyone loves an early Friday’
A-Level student Patrick was in his ICT lesson when he received the “unexpected news”
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.”
Caoimhin said that it was the first time he has known the school to close due to weather conditions, but that he will have an unfortunate walk home.
“I’ll have to brave the rain,” he added.
Teachers have provided classwork and homework online for students to complete at home, which Caoimhin said he will complete so that he doesn’t fall behind, but admitted it can be a “bit of a hassle”.
Colleen Webb
This was the scene at the Clady river in County Londonderry
Scotland
Some exposed areas in north western Scotland have been warned to expect gusts of up to 100mph, while wind speeds of up to 70mph are likely to be widespread on the amber warning zone.
Some train and ferry cancellations have already been announced for later in the day as the storm approaches.
Junior events for the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow on Saturday have also been cancelled, although the main races scheduled for Sunday are expected to go ahead.
Dr Simon Lee, an expert in atmospheric science at the University of St Andrews, said the drop in pressure was expected to be twice the threshold needed to be called an explosive cyclogenesis – an unofficial term sometimes dubbed a “weather bomb” – and it could lower the boiling point of water which is normally 100C.
He said: “A little interesting tidbit is that this means the boiling point of water will be probably 98C for parts of the north west of Scotland on Friday night, in theory.”
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 will come into effect at 14:00 to 22:00 (local time).
Met Éireann has warned that the storm will bring “severe and damaging gusts”.
A 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 Heard to Rossan Point to Fair Head.
Some flights from Dublin airport have been cancelled. Dublin Airport have said 12 flights are cancelled and “further cancellations and delays are possible”.
The airport advises anyone travelling to keep in touch with their airline.