London: Tens of thousands of homes in the UK remain without power, and weather warnings of high winds remain in place in some areas, as Storm Amy slowly pulls away.
According to Ghana News Agency, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the distribution network operator for the north of Scotland, reported that 34,000 customers remained without power due to the storm as of 8:30 pm (1930 GMT) on Saturday, while almost 50,000 had been reconnected. Hundreds of tree cutters and engineers are working to clear routes and carry out repairs, with efforts continuing from first light on Sunday.
A yellow warning of wind is in place for the east and north-east of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland until midday on Sunday. The Met Office indicated that strong west to north-westerly winds are expected to persist across the Northern Isles and parts of northern and eastern mainland Scotland through the first part of Sunday, as Storm Amy moves eastward. Gusts of 60 to 70 mph (96-113 km/h) are possible in more exposed areas during the early hours.
The Met Office had previously issued a yellow weather warning for wind across the UK on Saturday, with an amber warning for 'damaging' winds in northern Scotland until 9 pm that day. Wind gusts reached 154.5 kilometers per hour in northern Scotland on Saturday, and Cassley recorded 84.6 millimeters of rain within 24 hours.
Weather warnings were also issued across much of the UK on Friday when the storm initially struck. SSEN reported that hundreds of additional team members were deployed in response to the storm, which saw wind speeds of 154.5 km/h at lower levels on the island of Tiree and gusts exceeding 160 km/h in exposed areas, causing a 'considerable impact' on the network.
Nik Wheeler, SSEN's head of customer operations for the north of Scotland, assured customers that all available resources are being directed towards the reconnection operation and that efforts are being made to keep people informed and supported during essential repairs.
The storm also disrupted transportation, with ferry cancellations, flight delays, and roads and railway lines blocked by fallen trees. ScotRail reported 'extensive damage' to the rail network, with disruption expected to continue into Sunday, though services will be operational across most of the network after 'round-the-clock work' by Network Rail colleagues. However, some lines, including the Oban/Crianlarich and Fort William/Mallaig West Highland Line, will remain out of service.
Network Rail Scotland recorded more than 280 separate incidents by Saturday evening, with teams working tirelessly to repair the extensive damage caused by Storm Amy. National Rail warned that journeys could still be disrupted across Scotland, England, and Wales on Sunday.
In England, the A628 Woodhead Pass reopened between Woodhead and Langsett on Sunday morning after an earlier collision, but it remained closed to high-sided and vulnerable vehicles due to strong winds.
In Northern Ireland, crews advised that the 'vast majority' of properties without power would have it restored on Sunday. There were 3,000 properties still without power on Sunday morning, as crews from NIE Networks continued their clean-up from Storm Amy, which at its peak caused a loss of supply to approximately 65,000 customers.
Alex Houston, Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) Networks operations manager, stated that his team is doing its 'very best to get as many as possible reconnected today' and urged those without power to contact the customer center.
In the Republic of Ireland, 13,000 properties were without power on Sunday morning, with the ESB warning that it could take until 'early next week' for full reconnection. Irish police reported a man died in a 'weather-related' incident in County Donegal on Friday afternoon.
