Image Credit
Jeff Colhoun
Flights and ferries: check before you leave for the airport
Belfast International Airport and George Best Belfast City Airport both urged passengers to confirm departure times with their airlines after wind gusts reached 92 mph at Magilligan, County Londonderry — a provisional October record, according to the U.K. Met Office. The agency’s forecaster Bonnie Diamond told BBC Radio’s Evening Extra that the velocity equaled the top reading recorded during Storm Éowyn earlier in the year, underscoring Amy’s power. Ferry operators on the Irish Sea reported delays, especially on routes linking Belfast, Larne, Cairnryan and Holyhead, though full cancellation tallies were still being compiled on Friday night.Rail shutdown across Northern Ireland
Translink pulled every train from the network, leaving Belfast’s Grand Central Station shuttered and hundreds of passengers hunting for alternatives. Long-distance coach services between the capital and cities such as Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Magherafelt, Cookstown and Dungannon were also suspended for the evening. Stranded traveler anecdotes poured in. One California couple, only two days into their Ireland itinerary, arrived at the station to discover that “the trains should still be running” in their booking app, the woman said at the terminal. Instead, they prepared to back-track to Dublin by road.Highways littered with fallen trees and flooded verges
Drivers faced a gauntlet of closures after winds knocked down trees and heavy rain saturated already soggy ground:- M1 westbound blocked between junction 12 and junction 14; the junction 12 on-slip also impassable.
- Tamnamore junction 14 at Dungannon closed in both directions.
- Ravernet Road in Lisburn shut because a tree is leaning against power lines.
- Creighton Road in Dunmurry, Glencairn Way in Belfast and Strathmore Park South in Belfast all closed by fallen trees.
- B38 Belfast Road closed after a partial verge collapse and localized flooding.
- A26 Moira Road off-limits due to standing water after intense downpours.
- Foyle Bridge in Londonderry closed amid high winds.
Power outages: 160,000 customers off the grid at peak
Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) Networks reported about 40,000 properties still in the dark late Friday, down from an earlier peak of 65,000. Operations Manager Alex Houston cautioned that crews “anticipate it may take a number of days” to restore every connection, because roughly 1,000 individual faults — mainly broken lines and snapped poles — must be repaired first. South of the border, Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board counted more than 120,000 customers without service.Weather warnings stack up
A yellow wind alert blanketed all of Northern Ireland from 14:00 Friday until 23:59 Saturday, overlapping a yellow rain warning active through 12:00 Saturday. An earlier amber wind warning that covered Fermanagh, Londonderry, Antrim and Tyrone ran between 15:00 and 20:00 before expiring. Ballypatrick in County Antrim recorded gusts of 73 mph, while Castlederg in County Tyrone registered 71 mph. The Met Office forecast “really quite extreme” 100 mph gusts for the exposed Scottish Hebrides later in the night, Diamond said on air.Schools close early; community coping mechanisms kick in
Safety concerns prompted the Education Authority to dismiss pupils in Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh at midday. One high-school senior told BBC News NI that the half-day was “a wee bit of a blessing,” even as it interrupted exam preparation.Emergency numbers
Travelers staying locally should keep these hotlines handy:- NIE Networks outages: 03457 643 643
- NI Water flooding incident line: 0300 2000 100
- Openreach downed lines: 08000 23 20 23
- Gas networks emergencies: 0800 002001
Tips for travelers: navigating Storm Amy
- Monitor airline apps and airport boards. Rebooking queues may be long; act online when possible.
- Download Translink’s mobile app for push notifications on train and bus resumptions.
- Carry cash as card terminals can fail during extended power cuts.
- Pack a portable charger; hotel generators are not guaranteed.
- If driving, map alternate routes before departure. Many secondary roads remain unlisted in sat-nav closure data.
Outlook for the weekend
With warnings stretching through Saturday night, Northern Ireland’s emergency agencies will reassess transport operations on a rolling basis. Houston called the restoration effort “very much an evolving picture,” underscoring the uncertain timeline. For now, would-be tourists to the Giant’s Causeway, Game of Thrones filming sites or Belfast’s Titanic Quarter should expect detours — and pack both patience and waterproof gear. — as Diamond said at the Met Office.Destination
