Storm Eowyn: danger to life threat from 100mph winds – live updates

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More than 500,000 homes without power in Ireland

Reporting from Dublin:

More than 500,000 homes are without power in Ireland with gusts of 183kph (113mph) recorded in Galway.

The entire island of Ireland is under a red weather alert with Met Eireann warning that the winds lashing the country have not reached their strongest yet.

People have been advised to stay indoors with a risk of death or destruction from falling trees and debris.

Force 10 to 12 winds are battering the coast with winds moving north across the morning. Northern Ireland is currently under a severe wind warning.

Multiple incidents of trees blocking roads have been recorded. One passenger who tried their luck heading to Shannon airport for a flight that was cancelled said the motorway was deserted apart from fallen branches everywhere.

Public urged to stay at home as Ireland braces for arrival of Storm Eowyn

Residents across Ireland have been urged to stay at home due to Storm Eowyn, reports the PA news agency.

The top-level red warning for wind is in place in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from early on Friday morning.

Schools and colleges across Ireland are set to close and public transport came to a halt, reports the PA news agency, amid powerful gusts with warnings of danger to life, fallen electric lines, damaged infrastructure and widespread power outages.

Dublin airport announced more than 110 scheduled departures and 110 arrivals had been cancelled by airlines for Friday.

Met Éireann reported the mean wind speed record of 81mph set in 1945 at Foynes County Limerick had been broken during the storm. The weather service said gusts of up to 108mph had been recorded at Mace Head off Ireland’s west coast by 4am on Friday.

The storm has caused extensive and widespread damage to the electricity network, with power outages nationwide affecting 560,000 homes, farms and businesses.

Irish state-owned electricity company, ESB, says it expects significant further outages as Storm Eowyn moves across the country.

The chair of Ireland’s national emergency coordination group, Keith Leonard, said Storm Eowyn will be one of the most severe storms Ireland has seen. “It is going to be a damaging, dangerous and destructive weather event,” he said in Dublin on Friday.

He added:

The forecasted winds will bring severe conditions which will constitute a risk to life and property.

Our most important message today is that everybody needs to shelter in place for the duration of all red warnings.

We are likely to see significant and widespread power outages, so I would encourage everyone to prepare ahead. Make sure phones, torches and laptops are fully charged.”

In a statement at the Scottish parliament, first minister, John Swinney, said:

The Met Office advice is clear, the potential impacts include danger to life, structural damage to property and transport and power disruptions.

We have to be clear, people should not travel.”

Meanwhile, Calmac Ferries and Western Ferries announced Friday’s planned sailings had been cancelled.

Glasgow and Edinburgh airports saw dozens of flights cancelled on Friday morning due to bad weather conditions.

Red warning comes into effect in Northern Ireland

The Police Service of Northern Ireland described the storm as an “exceptional weather event” and said it was expected to bring the strongest winds seen in the region since 1998.

Red warnings for wind have been issued by the Met Office for much of Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday.

You can check out the Met Office map of warnings across the UK here.

Scottish motorists told not to travel

Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan said: “Our advice to any road user is not travelling, and that’s really the message we want to get across today.

It’s really unusual for us to have a red weather warning and that advice is in place for the duration of that warning.”

The Met Office red warning in Scotland runs from 10am to 5pm and covers the central belt including Glasgow and Edinburgh, stretching north on the west coast to Jura in Argyll and Bute and south to Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway.

Fastest ever wind recorded in Ireland, forecaster says

A wind speed of 114mph brought by Storm Eowyn has been recorded in Ireland, the fastest since records began, forecaster Met Eireann said.

Danger to life warning from 100mph winds

Flights have been delayed, roads closed and ferry services cancelled as 100mph winds from Storm Eowyn pose a danger to life in parts of the UK on Friday morning.

As PA Media reports, rail services and flights have been axed, with rare red weather warnings issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland as Storm Eowyn is likely to damage buildings, uproot trees and cause power cuts, the Met Office said.

Train operator ScotRail suspended all services across Scotland on Friday, saying it “would not be safe to operate passenger services due to forecast weather conditions”.

Dozens of flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh airports were cancelled on Friday morning due to ongoing weather conditions, while Belfast International warned of significant disruption to flights.

A number of train companies including Avanti West Coast, Lumo, CrossCountry and Grand Central have also told customers not to travel on routes across parts of north Wales, Scotland and northern England with no services running.

Passengers and motorists in areas covered by red and amber weather warnings have been told to avoid travel “unless absolutely essential”.

We’ll bring you more as it develops this morning.