Storm Amy, first storm of the 2025/26 season, has been named
Updated on Friday 3rd October 2025, valid until further notice
A red wind warning has been issued for Donegal county, from 4 to 6 pm today, due to the extremely strong wind gusts expected from Storm Amy. The track of Storm Amy hasn’t changed but our forecast models have upgraded the probability of a red wind warning signal specifically for the county of Donegal. Very strong south-westerly winds, accompanied by destructive gusts are expected for a short period later this afternoon.
Please remember that a red warning is a rare and very dangerous weather condition from intense meteorological phenomena. Take action to protect yourself and your property. Follow instructions and advice given by the authorities under all circumstances and be prepared for exceptional measures(see more safety advice further down this commentary).
Updated on Thursday 2nd October 2025, and valid until further notice
OVERVIEW
Storm Amy, named by the UK Met Office, is the first storm of the 2025/26 season and will impact Ireland on Friday 3rd October
Before Storm Amy arrives, a period of heavy rainfall will impact Ireland on Thursday, 2nd October, particularly in the north-west, west and south-west. Then on Friday, Storm Amy will bring very strong south-westerly winds across Ireland plus more spells of heavy rain.
Why has it been named? The weather in the Atlantic is very unsettled at the moment due to the effects of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, (according to the NOAANational Hurricane Center, Humberto dissipated on Wednesday 1st October, Imelda currently active in the vicinity of Bermuda). This unsettled situation is fuelling a strong jet stream and creating the conditions for a new, complex, low pressure system to develop. This low pressure system, named Storm Amy, will undergo rapid deepening on Friday when it interacts with the jet stream, bringing strong winds to Ireland then.
Figure 1 – A Low Pressure System, named Storm Amy, tracking towards Ireland
Meteorologist Ailís Hankinson, says:
“Storm Amy will bring wet and very windy conditions on Friday, and it’s preceded by a band of heavy rain on Thursday. It is the first storm of the season so it’s essential to be prepared forpotential impacts caused by the strong winds and the rain. There could be difficult travelling conditions, loose objects or flying debris. Trees are still in leaf at this time of the year, so there could be higher impacts from fallen trees and leaves blocking drains, causing localised flooding. Small, upland river catchments are the most at risk of flooding, so precautions for potential localised flooding in these areas are also important.
As always, we will provide updates of the situation as the certainty in the storm track and its intensity increases, so stay up to date with the warnings on met.ie, our app or our socials”.
WARNINGS:The intensity of the winds will depend on the interaction of the low with the jet stream. At the moment, both yellow and orange rainfall andwind warnings have been issued for Thursday and Friday respectively, but the wind warnings could be extended into Saturday for parts of the north west. The warnings will be updated as new model runs are analysed and certainty increases.
MAIN IMPACTS: Impacts will start to be felt on Thursday due to the heavy rainfall and will continue through Friday, and potentially Saturday for parts of the country:
Flooding: the persistent and heavy rain will fall on already saturated grounds, with river levels increasing. There is significant risk of flooding in the southwest particularly in mountainous areas of Kerry, west Cork and west Limerick and across counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, and Roscommon, due to the heavy and persistent rainfall on Thursday and Friday. Smaller upland and urban catchments in the South-West,West and North-West are at the greatest risk of flooding, as mountainous areas are currently forecast to see the greater rainfall accumulations (potential for 80-100 mm in 48h).
Very Difficult and dangerous travelling conditions
Debris, displaced objects
Damage to power lines and possible power outages
Fallen trees
Structural Damage
Surface water flooding, as the ground is saturated countrywide. Trees are in leaf at the moment so fallen leaves and other debris may block drains and small rivers, increasing the risk of surface water flooding.
Possible wave overtopping: even if we’re in a period of neap tides, strong onshore winds and significant waves from Storm Amy may cause isolated spray overtopping at times of high tide along the West coast.
We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide updated information as required as new model runs are analysed.
HOW TO STAY SAFE IN SEVERE WEATHER – BE WINTER READY
Stay up-to date with the forecast and the warnings for your county on met.ie, the Met Éireann app or Met Éireann socials (@meteireann).
Check in with your local authority and emergency management stakeholders (Irish Coast Guards, Gardaí, etc) via their websites and social channels to see how your area will be/is affected.
Ensure your mobile is phone is fully charged to enable communication in advance of the event and keep local emergency numbers in your phone.
Keep a small amount of food, medical and water supplies in case it’s dangerous to step out of the home.
While on the road in strong winds, beware of fallen trees or other debris and high sided vehicles, particularly when overtaking. If you are driving a high sided vehicle, try to anticipate exposed sections of roadway where winds will be stronger.
ESB Networks is highlighting the dangers posed by fallen live wires and advises the public and the emergency services to stay away from fallen cables and to report such cases immediately. ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999.
You can monitor powercheck.iein regards to power restoration times
Advance planning for flooding: You can consult the OPW flood maps, which show areas that may be at risk of flooding based on historical data (see www.floodinfo.ie).
Stay away from coastal areas during the period. Remember the advice from the Irish Coast Guard: “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”.
Don’t try to walk, cycle or drive through flooded areas, the depth of the water can be deceiving.
Remember: As little as 150mm of fast-flowing water can knock you off your feet and 300mm of fast-flowing water can move most cars off the road.
“Be Winter Ready”: Follow recommendations before, during and after the event on gov.ie – Be Winter Ready (www.gov.ie)
NOTE THAT:
The warnings are likely to be updated. Please keep in touch with Met Éireann’s social media channels, www.met.ie and the Met Éireann app to stay up to date with the forecast and any warnings’ updates.
The timing and location of extreme weather occurrences can significantly affect their impact. It’s important to note that in any individual weather event, not every location within a warning area may experience the same degree of weather or impacts.
When severe weather is expected, weather and impacts at lower levels are also likely to be experienced. The type and level of impacts can be strongly affected by previous weather conditions. When issuing a warning, Met Éireann takes into consideration the forecasted conditions and thresholds, as well as previous weather conditions that may increase the level of impact expected for particular areas.
WHY AND HOW ARE STORMS NAMED?
Storms are named when they could cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ impacts in one of the three partner countries. This enables consistent, authoritative messaging to the public and other stakeholders to help them to prepare for and stay safe during potentially severe weather events.
Since 2015, Met Éireann and the UK Met Office have been working together on the naming programme and were joined by the Netherlands’ KNMI in 2019, to form the ‘western group’ of European weather services.
When a storm is forecast, the national weather service that expects the biggest impact from the severe weather to hit its region, or is likely to be first affected by it, names the storm. Storm naming happens in conjunction with orange/red weather warnings, which could be for wind, rain or snow, or a combination of these conditions. Those warnings are, in turn, issued based on a combination of numerical thresholds and the potential impacts foreseen.
HOW ARE STORM NAMES CHOSEN?
Met Éireann, the UK Met Office and KNMI publish a new list of storm names for each Storm Season, which commences on 1st September.
This 2025/26 season, each of the three meteorological services contributed seven names to the season’s list. Met Éireann called on Ireland’s public to submit their preferred names through a social media campaign. More than 10,000 names were received from 4,137 members of the public.
The full 2025/26 list is Amy, Bram, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, Fionnuala, Gerard, Hannah, Isla, Janna, Kasia, Lilith, Marty, Nico, Oscar, Patrick, Ruby, Stevie, Tadhg, Violet, Wubbo.
Figure 2 – Storm Names 2025/26 list
(The names chosen by Met Éireann are in bold. Letters Q, U, X, Y, Z are not included, which is in line with the US National Hurricane Center naming convention).
OCTOBER STORMS IN IRELAND
Most storms occur in the winter months, but it is not unusual for Ireland to have September or October storms. The earliest named storm (since 1 September 2015) was on 12 September 2017 with named storm Aileen (gale force for Ireland).
Fig 3 – Prior to Storm Amy and since the Storm Naming initiative began in 2015, eight storms affecting IReland happened in October (Brian, Ophelia, Callum, Lorenzo, Aiden, Alex, Babet and Ashley)
The top 5 highest sustained wind speeds observed inOctober for Ireland are:
The top 5 highest gust wind speeds observedin October for Ireland are:
PAST STORM SEASONS OVERVIEW
In the past season (2024/25), there were six named storms affecting the area, starting with Ashley (October 2024), Bert, Conall, Darragh, Éowyn and closing with Floris (August 2025). All of these storms were named by the Western Europe Group of National Meteorological Services, formed by the UK Met Office, KNMI and Met Éireann.
The highest number of named storms in a season, affecting Ireland, is fourteen (14), in 2023/24. Two of these storms (Elisa and Geraldine) were named by the Southwestern Europe Group (France, Portugal and Spain).
The lowest number of named storms, affecting Ireland, since the initiative began, was four, in 2022/23.
On average, there have been around eight named storms each season since the storm naming initiative began in 2015.
2015/16 remains the season with the greatest number of storms reaching storm force 10, when nine of the 11 named storms observed storm force 10 or higher sustained wind speeds at coastal stations.
Last season 2024/25, four (of the six) named storms observed storm force 10 or higher sustained wind speeds on land in Ireland:
Ashley on Sunday 20th October 2024, with gusts up to 137 km/h (Storm Force).
Bert on Saturday 23rd November 2024, with gusts up 115 km/h (Storm Force).
Darragh on Friday 6th December 2024, with gusts up to 141 km/h (Violent Storm Force).
Éowyn on Friday 24th January 2025, with gusts up to 184 km/h (Hurricane Force).
Prior to Storm Éowyn, the last hurricane force winds observed on land for Ireland were during Storm Darwin on Wednesday, 12th February 2014, when gusts reached up to 159 km/h.
During Storm Éowyn, a gust of 184km/h was recorded at Mace Head Co. Galway on 24th January 2025. This is provisionally the strongest gust speed ever recorded in Ireland, breaking the previous record of 182km/h set at Foynes, Co. Limerick in 1945.
Storm Amy, first storm of the 2025/26 season, has been named
Updated on Friday 3rd October 2025, valid until further notice
A red wind warning has been issued for Donegal county, from 4 to 6 pm today, due to the extremely strong wind gusts expected from Storm Amy. The track of Storm Amy hasn’t changed but our forecast models have upgraded the probability of a red wind warning signal specifically for the county of Donegal. Very strong south-westerly winds, accompanied by destructive gusts are expected for a short period later this afternoon.
Please remember that a red warning is a rare and very dangerous weather condition from intense meteorological phenomena. Take action to protect yourself and your property. Follow instructions and advice given by the authorities under all circumstances and be prepared for exceptional measures (see more safety advice further down this commentary).
Check Warnings & Advisories on met.ie for all the warning details.
…………………………………………..
Updated on Thursday 2nd October 2025, and valid until further notice
OVERVIEW
Storm Amy, named by the UK Met Office, is the first storm of the 2025/26 season and will impact Ireland on Friday 3rd October
Before Storm Amy arrives, a period of heavy rainfall will impact Ireland on Thursday, 2nd October, particularly in the north-west, west and south-west. Then on Friday, Storm Amy will bring very strong south-westerly winds across Ireland plus more spells of heavy rain.
Why has it been named? The weather in the Atlantic is very unsettled at the moment due to the effects of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, (according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center, Humberto dissipated on Wednesday 1st October, Imelda currently active in the vicinity of Bermuda). This unsettled situation is fuelling a strong jet stream and creating the conditions for a new, complex, low pressure system to develop. This low pressure system, named Storm Amy, will undergo rapid deepening on Friday when it interacts with the jet stream, bringing strong winds to Ireland then.
Figure 1 – A Low Pressure System, named Storm Amy, tracking towards Ireland
Meteorologist Ailís Hankinson, says:
“Storm Amy will bring wet and very windy conditions on Friday, and it’s preceded by a band of heavy rain on Thursday. It is the first storm of the season so it’s essential to be prepared for potential impacts caused by the strong winds and the rain. There could be difficult travelling conditions, loose objects or flying debris. Trees are still in leaf at this time of the year, so there could be higher impacts from fallen trees and leaves blocking drains, causing localised flooding. Small, upland river catchments are the most at risk of flooding, so precautions for potential localised flooding in these areas are also important.
As always, we will provide updates of the situation as the certainty in the storm track and its intensity increases, so stay up to date with the warnings on met.ie, our app or our socials”.
WARNINGS: The intensity of the winds will depend on the interaction of the low with the jet stream. At the moment, both yellow and orange rainfall and wind warnings have been issued for Thursday and Friday respectively, but the wind warnings could be extended into Saturday for parts of the north west. The warnings will be updated as new model runs are analysed and certainty increases.
MAIN IMPACTS: Impacts will start to be felt on Thursday due to the heavy rainfall and will continue through Friday, and potentially Saturday for parts of the country:
We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide updated information as required as new model runs are analysed.
HOW TO STAY SAFE IN SEVERE WEATHER – BE WINTER READY
NOTE THAT:
The warnings are likely to be updated. Please keep in touch with Met Éireann’s social media channels, www.met.ie and the Met Éireann app to stay up to date with the forecast and any warnings’ updates.
The timing and location of extreme weather occurrences can significantly affect their impact. It’s important to note that in any individual weather event, not every location within a warning area may experience the same degree of weather or impacts.
When severe weather is expected, weather and impacts at lower levels are also likely to be experienced. The type and level of impacts can be strongly affected by previous weather conditions. When issuing a warning, Met Éireann takes into consideration the forecasted conditions and thresholds, as well as previous weather conditions that may increase the level of impact expected for particular areas.
WHY AND HOW ARE STORMS NAMED?
Storms are named when they could cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ impacts in one of the three partner countries. This enables consistent, authoritative messaging to the public and other stakeholders to help them to prepare for and stay safe during potentially severe weather events.
Since 2015, Met Éireann and the UK Met Office have been working together on the naming programme and were joined by the Netherlands’ KNMI in 2019, to form the ‘western group’ of European weather services.
When a storm is forecast, the national weather service that expects the biggest impact from the severe weather to hit its region, or is likely to be first affected by it, names the storm. Storm naming happens in conjunction with orange/red weather warnings, which could be for wind, rain or snow, or a combination of these conditions. Those warnings are, in turn, issued based on a combination of numerical thresholds and the potential impacts foreseen.
HOW ARE STORM NAMES CHOSEN?
Met Éireann, the UK Met Office and KNMI publish a new list of storm names for each Storm Season, which commences on 1st September.
This 2025/26 season, each of the three meteorological services contributed seven names to the season’s list. Met Éireann called on Ireland’s public to submit their preferred names through a social media campaign. More than 10,000 names were received from 4,137 members of the public.
The full 2025/26 list is Amy, Bram, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, Fionnuala, Gerard, Hannah, Isla, Janna, Kasia, Lilith, Marty, Nico, Oscar, Patrick, Ruby, Stevie, Tadhg, Violet, Wubbo.
Figure 2 – Storm Names 2025/26 list
(The names chosen by Met Éireann are in bold. Letters Q, U, X, Y, Z are not included, which is in line with the US National Hurricane Center naming convention).
OCTOBER STORMS IN IRELAND
Most storms occur in the winter months, but it is not unusual for Ireland to have September or October storms. The earliest named storm (since 1 September 2015) was on 12 September 2017 with named storm Aileen (gale force for Ireland).
Fig 3 – Prior to Storm Amy and since the Storm Naming initiative began in 2015, eight storms affecting IReland happened in October (Brian, Ophelia, Callum, Lorenzo, Aiden, Alex, Babet and Ashley)
The top 5 highest sustained wind speeds observed in October for Ireland are:
The top 5 highest gust wind speeds observed in October for Ireland are:
PAST STORM SEASONS OVERVIEW
For more information on storm names and past storms, see Storm Centre and Major Weather Events
Eolas Fúinn