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LAST UPDATE | 3 Oct
THE FIRST NAMED storm of the season, Storm Amy, makes landfall today with Met Éireann warning of fallen trees, power cuts and dangerous travelling conditions, with gusts of up to 120km/hr forecast to hit western counties.
Ahead of its arrival, Ireland was subjected to wet weather and heavy downpours, with much of the country under alerts for rain yesterday – counties Kerry and Galway remain under a Status Yellow alert for rain until 3pm today.
While yesterday brought downpours, today will bring strong and gale force winds.
From 12 noon, the 26 counties of the Republic will be under a Status Yellow wind warning.
This warning will remain in place across the 26 counties until midnight.
Six counties will also come under a Status Orange wind warning for a prolonged period today.
From 2pm to 10pm, counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo will come under the Orange alert, with near gale to gale force winds expected.
Clare was added to this list of Orange counties at around 9.30am this morning.
Storm Amy is the first storm of the 2025/26 season and will impact Ireland on Friday 3rd October.
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 1, 2025
Before #StormAmy arrives, a period of heavy rainfall 🌧️ will impact Ireland tomorrow (Thursday), particularly in the north-west, west and south-west.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/uiigTkA5xN
In the North, a Status Yellow warning kicks in at 2pm and will remain in place until 12 noon tomorrow.
Elsewhere in the North, Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry will come under an Orange alert from 3pm until 8pm – schools in these counties must close at noon as a result.
Met Éireann warns that impacts from Storm Amy will include fallen trees, damage to power lines and possible power outages, very difficult travelling conditions and possible wave overtopping.
Liz Walsh, operational forecaster at Met Éireann, said that the rainfall yesterday could cause trees to fall down more easily.
“Roots may be weaker after the rain yesterday and this may cause more trees to fall and that could happen in a Status Yellow wind warning area as well.
“This afternoon when it’s windy, there is a chance that you could meet some obstacles if you’re out traveling so be aware, take care and be prepared, especially if you’re in those Western and Northwestern counties.”
I called a meeting of the National Emergency Co-Ordination Group at Custom House today to further analyse winter 2025 preparedness ahead of storm season ⛈️🌀🌊 pic.twitter.com/4o6eXjrWbx
— James Browne TD (@JamesBrowneTD) October 2, 2025
Speaking to RTÉ this morning, Walsh remarked that Storm Amy is “on approach”.
“Currently the system is 350 nautical miles west of Loop Head, and by 7pm the centre of it will be off the west coast of Scotland.”
She added that in Status Oranges areas, gusts of 120 kilometres are possible and that stronger winds will impact areas closer to the west coast.
Walsh described a Status Orange warning as causing “infrequent, dangerous weather conditions which may pose a threat to life and property”.
But for the rest of the country, she says the weather won’t pose a threat to the general population though it “is potentially dangerous on a localised scale”.
“Just don’t take avoidable risks, that’s kind of what the Yellow concept is,” said Walsh.
“But for Orange, people and property are likely to be significantly affected, there may be power outages, trees down or obstacles in the way if you’re out traveling, so just be cautious if you’re in those Orange Counties.”
She also cautioned that “weather doesn’t stop at county borders” and reminded the public that there is “only a one kilometre difference between an orange and a red gust”.
ESB Networks has warned people not to approach fallen power lines and to contact the company instead.
“If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999. ”
The ESB also advised people to prepare for the possibility that they may lose power.
“On a precautionary basis, ESB Networks would like to ask our customers to consider preparations in the event of losing their electricity supply if their area is affected by Storm Amy.
“This could include having torches and spare batteries available, having phones charged, etc.”
Meanwhile, marine warnings are also in place, with a Status Yellow small craft warning for all coasts on the island from 6am to midnight, as well as a Status Yellow gale warning for all coasts and on the Irish seas from 9am until 2pm tomorrow.
Orange and Red marine warnings will also come into place.
A Status Orange storm warning will be in place from Valentia to Erris Head to Fair Head from 12pm until midnight and southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10.
A Status Red storm warning will then be in place from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head from 2pm until 8am – southwest to west winds could reach violent storm force 11 at times.
Walsh warned that such Status Red marine alerts are “rare and very dangerous”.
She added that places within 10 kilometres of the coast will be impacted by these marine warnings and warned people to stay away from the coast and to be “prepared for something quite intense and significant”.
Elsewhere, Iarnród Éireann yesterday confirmed that bridge replacement and coastal defence works between Dun Laoghaire and Greystones, which had been due to take place this Saturday and Sunday, have been cancelled.
Iarnród Éireann said the forecast high winds would impact the safety of the proposed works due to the bridge lift involved, as well as work on exposed terrain on Bray Head.
As a result, full DART and Dublin to Rosslare Europort services will operate across the weekend and the works have been rescheduled to the weekend of 1 and 2 November.
Live beside a railway line? Make sure trampolines and other garden furniture are secure
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) October 2, 2025
#WeatherWatch #AlwaysSafe #StormAmy pic.twitter.com/zcwvuki1CS
Other works scheduled to take place across the rail network this weekend will proceed as planned.
Walsh remarked that “Amy is her own woman” when asked yesterday how it came to be.
“It was very humid yesterday and that’s because the air over us is coming from a tropical source,” she explained.
“We’ve got a jet stream that’s stretching right across the Atlantic, and that’s what is fuelling this weather that we’re getting.
“The air that’s coming towards us is coming from the area of Bermuda, and that’s where we’ve seen two hurricanes, Humberto and Imelda.”
While Imelda is still a hurricane, Umberto was dissipated by the National Hurricane Centre on Wednesday evening.
“It no longer exists,” said Walsh, “but the remnants of it are becoming entrained in the jet stream.
“That’s what’s fuelling the low pressure system that will become Storm Amy as it comes towards and tracks to the northwest of Ireland.”
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