Hundreds of schools close as Storm Amy brings high winds

Hundreds of schools have closed early and events have been cancelled as Storm Amy brings disruption to Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for wind and rain and police have warned of surface water on the roads.

On Friday morning, the Education Authority (EA) in Northern Ireland told schools in counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh to close at midday "in the interests of safety".

An amber warning for wind is in place on Friday from 15:00 until 20:00 BST across the western parts of Northern Ireland and later in Scotland, with gusts of 60-70mph expected inland and up to 80mph along exposed coasts. A yellow warning is in place for Armagh and Down.

A yellow rain warning is also in place across Northern Ireland.

The yellow warning for wind is set to continue into early Saturday afternoon - and a separate yellow warning for rain has been issued from 11:00 until 17:00 on Friday.

The strong winds expected on Friday could bring down trees and cause large waves in coastal areas.

Some ferry services between Northern Ireland and Scotland have been cancelled and flights from Belfast to Birmingham have been cancelled; all passengers should check with their provider before travelling.

Aer Lingus flights both arriving and departing from Belfast City Airport on Friday have been cancelled.

At midday at Mercy College in north Belfast, corridors and classrooms were empty as students made their way home following the EA's announcement about closures.

A-Level student Patrick was in his ICT lesson when he received the "unexpected news".

While he said the closure was "unfortunate" given upcoming exams and coursework, a half-day does come as a small relief.

"It is a wee bit of a blessing," he told BBC News NI.

"Everyone loves a wee early Friday."

Rachel's parents are both working, and with the "unexpected" closure, she was left figuring out a way back home and to work later on Friday.

"I didn't even bring a coat with me," she said.

While her Fridays are normally spent studying, the closure will prevent her from getting work done.

"Being in school's good for me because I'm able to use the computers whereas at home I don't have one," she added.

"It's good and beneficial for me to be here so leaving's just a bit unfortunate."

While the rain is dying down in north Belfast, Rachel said it was "right" to close the school early in case it gets worse later.

While a half-day may be a welcome relief to some students, for those like Rachel whose exams are coming up soon, every lesson counts.

"I do have business class after lunchtime and my business A-level is in January so I'm a wee bit nervous about missing the class just in case I don't get the grades I want, but I know when I go back on Monday I'll be back on track."

Principal Martin Moreland said making the decision to close the school at any time can be difficult as "there's enough barriers" in front of young people trying to access education, but the EA's directive was "well received".

"When there's a collective decision made across the board it allows everybody to make that move together in the best interests of children and their safety," he said.

Mr Moreland said the school's closure has been "very disruptive but health and safety has to come to the fore" and said staff acted quickly to ensure pupils were sent home safely, and those who avail of free school meals were fed before leaving.

Some councils will be closing council-run facilities early on Friday.

Speaking outside Altnagelvin Cemetery, which will also be closed early, local SDLP councillor Declan Norris said closures are in place for the "safety of the public and workers".

"It's safety first. In the last storm a lot of trees came down. We can't have people being hurt."

Six counties in the Republic of Ireland have entered a status Orange wind warning.

The Status Orange wind warning for counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo will come into effect at 14:00 to 22:00 (local time).

A Status Red warning, the highest level, has been issued for County Donegal between 16:00 and 18:00. The service is warning strong winds could lead to fallen trees, damage to power lines and dangerous travel conditions.

Met Éireann has warned that the storm will bring "severe and damaging gusts".

A status yellow wind warning is now in place across the whole of the republic until 00:00 on Saturday.

A Status Red marine warning will also come into effect between 14:00 and 20:00, as Met Éireann warns of "violent" storm force 11 winds from Loop Heard to Rossan Point to Fair Head.

Some flights from Dublin airport have been cancelled. Dublin Airport have said 12 flights are cancelled and "further cancellations and delays are possible".

The airport advises anyone travelling to keep in touch with their airline.