Millions of people have been urged to stay at home on Friday as Storm Éowyn is set to bring potentially life-threatening winds to the north and west of the UK.
Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland are set to experience the worst disruption, where the Met Office has issued red weather warnings which means there is a danger to life from winds gusting at up to 100mph.
Schools will be closed in Northern Ireland and much of central Scotland on Friday, while travel is also expected to be disrupted.
Away from the areas expected to be worst-hit by Storm Éowyn less severe amber and yellow warnings for both wind and rain have been issued, with 11 warnings in place for the UK on Friday and Saturday.
Red is the most serious weather warning the Met Office can issue, meaning dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe.
The red warning for the whole of Northern Ireland will be in force from 07:00 GMT to 14:00 on Friday, affecting the morning rush hour.
Bus and train services have been suspended in the country, while all schools have been advised to close and Belfast International airport is warning of significant disruption to flights.
In a message to customers, supermarket chain Tesco said all its shops in Northern Ireland would be closed on Friday – adding that home deliveries would be cancelled too.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the storm was an “exceptional weather event” and was expected to bring the strongest winds experienced in the region since 1998.
The Irish Republic’s weather service Met Éireann has also issued severe red weather warnings amid the potential for “hurricane force winds” – with BBC Weather also saying it could be Ireland’s storm of the century.
The storm is due to move east through Friday morning so a red warning is in place across Scotland’s central belt, including its biggest cities Glasgow and Edinburgh, from 10:00 to 17:00.
-Schools in at least 20 local authorities – covering most of central Scotland – will be closed on Friday.
ScotRail has confirmed all rail services in Scotland will be suspended on Friday, adding that the closure was to ensure the safety of customers and staff.
Train operators Avanti, LNER, Lumo, CrossCountry, and Grand Central, TransPennine Express and Northern have also issued warnings not to travel in the north of England and north Wales on Friday.
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports said they would be limiting operations on Friday. As of 03:00 GMT, almost all departures and arrivals from both airports through Friday morning and afternoon were listed as cancelled.
The AA urged drivers travelling in red weather warning areas to consider whether a journey is necessary, and if not to postpone it.
Across the UK winds will rapidly increase from west to east on Friday morning into the afternoon with peak gusts of 80-90mph (129-145km/h).
There will likely be a large number of trees blown over with widespread disruption to travel with roads badly affected, and flights, trains and ferries will be subject to cancellations.
Power cuts are also likely, some of which could last for a number of days.
National Highways said the A66 between North Yorkshire and Cumbria and the A628 between Flouch and Hollingworth would both be closed due to strong winds.
The M48 Severn Bridge connecting Wales and England will also be closed, with traffic diverted over the newer M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
