Schools have been closed and people warned not to travel on Friday, as 100mph winds pose a danger to life in parts of the UK.
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 has suspended all services across Scotland on Friday, saying it “would not be safe to operate passenger services due to forecast weather conditions”.
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.
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Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport said they were limiting airport operations on Friday, with the former citing a “significant level of flight cancellations” while Belfast International warned of significant disruption to flights.
Passengers and motorists in areas covered by red and amber weather warnings have been told to avoid travel “unless absolutely essential”.
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 country since 1998.
Two red weather warnings will be in place into Friday afternoon (PA Graphics/PA)
Red warnings for wind have been issued by the Met Office in Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday, and for western and central areas of Scotland between 10am and 5pm.
Gusts of 80 to 90mph are expected widely inland in the warning areas, with speeds of up 100mph likely along coasts, the forecaster said.
Amber wind warnings are also in place for Northern Ireland, the southern half of Scotland, northern England and north Wales between 6am and 9pm on Friday, and the northern half of Scotland from 1pm on Friday to 6am on Saturday.
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Winds reaching 60 to 70mph will be widespread in these warning areas.
There is a yellow wind warning covering most of the UK for the entirety of Friday and smaller yellow warnings for snow in Scotland, from 6am to midnight, and rain in south-west England and Wales until 9am.
RAC Breakdown advised motorists in warnings areas to stay safe by parking away from trees, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel, avoid coastal routes and watch out for debris.
Some 4.5 million people received emergency alerts on their phones warning of the incoming storm in the “largest real life use of the tool to date” on Thursday.
Further amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain have also been issued across Saturday and Sunday.