At least 1 person killed in Ireland as Storm Amy hits northern Europe with strong wind and rain

LONDON (AP) — London’s famed Royal Parks shut their gates Saturday and road, rail and sea travel faced major disruption as a storm walloped the U.K., Ireland and Scandinavia with heavy rain and high winds.

More than 200,000 properties in Ireland and Northern Ireland were left without power, and a man died in Letterkenny, northwest Ireland, on Friday in what police called a weather-related incident, without giving details.

Britain’s Met Office weather agency said a gust of 96 mph (154 kph) was recorded Friday on the island of Tiree off Scotland’s west coast.

In Scotland, many ferry services were suspended and roads and railway lines blocked by fallen trees.

Fraser Wilson of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said engineers were working to restore power to about 62,000 customers.

We expect because of the extent of damage to the network and conditions we are still going to be facing today that this will take some time,” he told the BBC. “This storm is not over by any means.”

In London, Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Richmond Park and several other green spaces that are a magnet for locals and tourists were shut all day Saturday because of “severe wind gusts,” Royal Parks management said.

Storms with the potential to cause serious disruption or damage are given names jointly by the U.K., Irish and Dutch weather agencies. This one, the first of the season, is Storm Amy.

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