Ireland was hit with wind gusts of 114 miles (183 kilometers) an hour, the strongest on record, as a winter storm battered the country and northern parts of the U.K. on Friday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.

Damage could be seen in Belfast in Northern Ireland on Friday as a major storm continued to lash Ireland and Scotland with hurricane-force winds. Forecasters issued a rare “red” weather warning, meaning danger to life,