By Sarah Tulloch

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The Met Office has officially named Storm Amy as the first storm of the season, forecasting gusts exceeding 80mph along with heavy rainfall. It comes after Hurricane Humberto, a Category 3 storm, collided with with Storm Imelda over the Atlantic Ocean. The combined systems have prompted alerts across the Caribbean, US East Coast, and Bermuda. Storm Imelda has already been linked to two deaths in Cuba due to a landslide that destroyed several homes. Now, the Met Office has issued several weather warnings for parts of the United Kingdom as Storm Amy “develops rapidly” and is expected to make landfall on Friday. It will bring “very strong winds and heavy rain” to “northern and western regions” of the UK, the forecaster added, and is likely to lead to disruption during Friday and Saturday. The Met Office said: “Westerly winds will pick up during Friday, initially in the west before extending eastwards during Friday night. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are likely for many areas and may reach 60 to 70 mph in some places for a time. “Exposed coasts and hills will see the highest gusts which could exceed 80 mph. The strongest winds currently look more likely over parts of northern Scotland . This will lead to difficult driving conditions for high sided vehicles on prone routes such as cross winds on exposed or high level routes. “The very strong winds will also be accompanied by spells of heavy rain, most persistent across parts of western Scotland.” The national weather agency added: “The winds will ease for most parts on Saturday afternoon but will continue to be very strong for the Northern Isles and parts of the far north of Scotland through to the end of the day before slowly easing overnight.” There is also a risk of power cuts, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. The Met Office has issued guidance for preparing for power cuts, urging the public to stock up on a few key items. It said: “It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.” The Met Office added: “Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary. “People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items. “Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.”