Ireland has been hit with record wind gusts of 114 miles (183 kilometers) an hour as a winter storm batters the country and northern parts of the U.K.

The storm has cut power to homes, grounded hundreds of flights and forced public transport to come to a standstill. Officials have closed schools and warned people to stay indoors

Red warnings for wind cover the entirety of Ireland and parts of Scotland as the storm brings staggering winds posing a danger to life. Trains and flights across the UK face cancellation or disruption and schools have been closed.

Status Red weather warnings are now active right across the island of Ireland as the country battles Storm Eowyn's hurricane force winds. More than 500,000 people are without power with more outages expected throughout the day.

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland are braced for a storm spiraling in from the Atlantic, bringing gusts of up to 100 m.p.h., with forecasters warning of a danger to life.

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland are braced for one of the most intense storms in decades, with forecasters warning of extremely rare hurricane force winds and a danger to life

The storm had knocked out power to more than half a million utility customers by early Friday as it moved across Ireland.

The latest named weather bomb, Storm Eowyn, has already set a wind speed record as 114mph gales were recorded in Ireland, forecasters have said - with the full brunt of the storm now arriving in the U