Storm Amy's hour-by-hour path with 95mph winds and 'danger to life' alert issued

As Brits prepare themselves for Storm Amy, the Mirror takes a look at what we can expect hour by hour from the first, powerful storm of the season, with some areas urged to heed serious warnings

Today, the first named storm of the season will hit UK shores, with Brits bracing themselves for ferocious 95mph winds.

The approaching Storm Amy is expected to bring widespread travel disruption, with Brits urged to stay indoors if possible and heed all expert safety advice. Those on exposed hilltops and coastal areas may be particularly vulnerable.

It's expected that Northern Ireland will be hit by the powerful gusts first, with a severe Amber alert in place from 3 pm today up until 8 pm. Meanwhile, all of Scotland, the north of England and the most western parts of Wales will also fall under a yellow warning for wind from 3 pm onwards today, until the start of Sunday.

An Amber warning issued for the northern and western parts of Scotland will come into force as of 5 pm today and will remain active until 9 am Saturday morning. This warning highlights a danger to life, as well as the possibility of power cuts, travel disruption and particularly dangerous conditions near coastal areas.

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Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong yesterday warned: "Within the amber warning area, gusts in excess of 95mph are possible from Friday evening and into Saturday morning as Stormy Amy brings a risk of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees. Gusts around 60-70 mph are expected more widely in the Amber warning area, in what will be an impactful autumn storm for many in Scotland.

"Rainfall is an additional hazard, in particular over western Scotland, where totals could exceed 30-50mm in 6-9 hours, increasing the risk of flooding for some. Warnings will continue to be tweaked and amended in the coming days as confidence increases, so stay up to date with the latest Met Office forecast and warnings."

A lengthy strip of Scotland - running from Dumfries up to the northernmost part of the mainland - has also been issued a yellow rain warning from 12 pm today to 3 pm tomorrow. A similar alert is also in place for northwest England, including the Lake District, from 3pm until midnight today, with a rain warning in Northern Ireland in place from 11am until 5pm today.

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The Met Office states: "Heavy rain may lead to transport disruption and flooding." It continues: "Band of heavy rain associated with Storm Amy will cross Scotland through Friday afternoon and evening.

"20-30mm of rain is expected widely in a 6-9 hour period, with 40-50mm over some hilly areas in the Southwest and the Southern Highlands. The rain will be accompanied by very strong winds, which will add to the very poor driving conditions."

Here's a detailed list of the seven warnings in place:

1. Amber wind warning in Northern Ireland

Areas affected: County Antrim, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone

When: Friday, October 3 from 3pm to 10pm

2. Amber wind warning in Grampian

Areas affected: Moray, Argyll and Bute, Orkney Islands, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Highland

When: 5pm today to 9am tomorrow

3.Yellow rain warning in Northern Ireland

Areas affected: Down and Armagh

When: Friday, October 3 from 3pm to 10pm

Central, Tayside & Fife

• Angus
• Clackmannanshire
• Dundee
• Falkirk
• Fife
• Perth and Kinross
• Stirling

East Midlands

• Derbyshire

Grampian

• Aberdeen
• Aberdeenshire
• Moray

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Highlands & Eilean Siar

• Na h-Eileanan Siar
• Highland

North East England

• Darlington
• Durham
• Gateshead
• Hartlepool
• Middlesbrough
• Newcastle upon Tyne
• North Tyneside
• Northumberland
• Redcar and Cleveland
• South Tyneside
• Stockton-on-Tees
• Sunderland

North West England

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Cheshire West and Chester
• Cumbria
• Greater Manchester
• Halton
• Lancashire
• Merseyside
• Warrington

Orkney & Shetland

• Orkney Islands
• Shetland Islands

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway
• East Lothian
• Edinburgh
• Midlothian Council
• Scottish Borders
• West Lothian

Strathclyde

• Argyll and Bute
• East Ayrshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• East Renfrewshire
• Glasgow
• Inverclyde
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Renfrewshire
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• West Dunbartonshire

Wales

• Carmarthenshire
• Ceredigion
• Conwy
• Denbighshire
• Flintshire
• Gwynedd
• Isle of Anglesey
• Pembrokeshire
• Powys
• Wrexham

Yorkshire & Humber

• North Yorkshire
• South Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire

When: 11am today to 5pm today

4. Yellow wind warning

Areas affected:

North East England

• Durham
• Northumberland

North West England

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Cumbria
• Greater Manchester
• Lancashire

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway
• Scottish Borders

Yorkshire & Humber

• North Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire

When: 3pm today to 11.59pm today

5. Yellow rain warning

Areas affected:

North East England

• Durham
• Northumberland

North West England

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Cumbria
• Greater Manchester
• Lancashire

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway
• Scottish Borders

Yorkshire & Humber

• North Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire

When: 12pm today to 3pm

6. Yellow rain warning

Areas affected:

Central, Tayside & Fife

• Falkirk
• Perth and Kinross
• Stirling

Highlands & Eilean Siar

• Highland

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway

Strathclyde

• Argyll and Bute
• East Ayrshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• East Renfrewshire
• Glasgow
• Inverclyde
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Renfrewshire
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• West Dunbartonshire

7. Yellow wind warning

Areas affected:

Northern Ireland

• County Antrim
• County Armagh
• County Down
• County Fermanagh
• County Londonderry
• County Tyrone

When: 2pm today to 12am tomorrow

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