At least three people killed as Storm Amy batters Europe with strong winds and rain

Weather conditions began to slightly improve across northern Europe on Sunday after three people were killed over the weekend as Storm Amy raged across with strong winds and rain, impacting critical infrastructure and disrupting power for tens of thousands.

Authorities in the Netherlands lifted their nationwide code yellow warning after Amy led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and ferry services, while in Scotland, authorities restored power to some 67,000 homes two days after the storm brought damage and disruption.

Earlier, two men were reportedly killed by the storm in France, local officials said on Saturday, while authorities in Ireland reported a man died in Letterkenny on Friday in what police called a weather-related incident.

Road, rail, and sea travel faced major disruption as the storm on Saturday walloped the UK and Scandinavia with heavy rain and high winds.

London’s famed Royal Parks shut their gates as Britain’s Met Office weather agency gave updates on the weather after it recorded a gust of 154 kph on Friday on the island of Tiree off Scotland’s west coast.

More than 200,000 homes in Ireland and Northern Ireland had been left without power, while in Scotland, many ferry services were suspended, and roads and railway lines were blocked by fallen trees.

Approximately 21,000 houses were without power on Saturday, according to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), as workers worked in difficult weather.

France

On Saturday afternoon, Storm Amy's powerful gusts, which claimed two lives in France, prompted parts of Northern France to issue an orange alert.

"Storm Amy is moving across the British Isles, causing strong gusts of wind in the departments near the English Channel coast and in the northern inland departments of the country," French weather service Meteo France said.

France's northern coast recorded its strongest winds since the beginning of the week, with gusts reaching 131 kilometres and up to 110 kph inland.

According to French authorities, two males, ages 18 and 48, went swimming in the water at Étretat on Saturday morning, which is close to Le Havre, despite bad weather.

The older man did not return to land, while later in the afternoon, a large tree branch fell onto a vehicle that had been driving on a road in the northern Aisne region, killing a 25-year-old man.

Up to 5,000 Normandy homes were without power on Saturday morning due to the storm. According to power supplier Enedis, the number decreased to 2,000 by noon, but since then, more outages have been reported.

Belgium

In Belgium, Storm Amy was also clearly felt, causing some damage with strong winds of speeds reaching over 100 kilometres per hour. As a result, authorities declared a Code Orange weather warning for the entire country on Friday.

As a precaution, the breakwaters in Ostend will be closed for the entire weekend, officials said, while also announcing that telephone number 1722 for non-urgent requests for assistance from the fire brigade had been activated.

Amy also wreaked havoc on Sweden, Denmark, and Norway from late Friday into Saturday. Tens of thousands of homes lost power as strong gusts brought down trees and power lines throughout Scandinavia, as heavy rainfall and high tides pummeled the coastal areas.

Norway

Roofs were blown off houses, trees fell, and over a hundred roads were closed in Norway, where extreme amounts of rainfall are now expected.

Emergency officials said they expected the Vestfold coast to experience the strongest winds before it calms down. It will continue to blow strongly in Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, and Nordland throughout the day. In parts of Vestfold and Telemark, it is expected that "Amy" will bring up to 100 millimetres of rain in twelve hours.

As of Saturday morning, around 120,000 households were left without electricity, mostly in Trøndelag, Agder, and Vestland, according to a count by NRK, the Norwegian broadcaster.

Sweden

Strong winds and heavy rain were recorded on Saturday across southern and central Sweden. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) issued orange alerts for the West Coast, the southern coast of Skåne, and the Skagerrak area.

Out at sea off northern Halland, hurricane-force gusts have already been recorded. In addition, several yellow warnings are in place for large parts of the country.

Storms with the potential to cause serious disruption or damage are given names jointly by the UK, Irish, and Dutch weather agencies.

The current storm, called Amy, is the remnant of Hurricane Humberto, which formed over the Atlantic Ocean last week.