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Schools have been closed and people have been warned not to travel amid rare red weather warnings as Storm Eowyn brings winds of up to 100mph to the UK.
Rail services and flights have been cancelled as wind alerts, which cover all of Northern Ireland from 7am on Friday until 2pm, and parts of Scotland from 10am to 5pm, warn of “very dangerous conditions” and “widespread disruption”.
Tornadoes could also hit parts of the UK, with forecasters warning of a danger to life.
As many as 4.5 million people got an emergency alert on their phones from the Met Office warning of the incoming storm.
The Met Office said changing conditions could trigger an explosive cyclogenesis – or weather bomb – with strong winds, rain, snow and gusts of up to 100mph expected on Friday.
The red alert is the Met Office’s most serious warning and means the weather is likely to cause “substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure”, according to the agency.
Met Eireann has issued a rare nationwide red warning for wind across the Republic of Ireland, describing possible “danger to life”.
Irish premier Simon Harris has warned there is an “extreme” risk to life and said: “We cannot give a higher warning than nationwide red. The risk to life is extreme and real.
In Scotland, First Minister John Swinney said: “Red weather warnings like this are very rare. Our message is simple, please follow the advice from the Met Office and the police, take this seriously and stay safe.”
A series of amber and yellow warnings have also been put in place, threatening injuries and a danger to life.
Major disruption expected on Friday:
• All schools in Northern Ireland have been advised to close;
• Several local authorities in Scotland have announced schools and nurseries will be shut;
• People in areas covered by red and amber warnings have been told to avoid travel “unless absolutely essential”;
• All ScotRail services will be suspended;
• A number of train companies including Avanti West Coast, Lumo, CrossCountry, and Grand Central have told customers not to travel on routes across parts of North Wales, Scotland and northern England with no services running.
• A number of CalMac ferry services have been cancelled;
• Operations will be affected at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin airports.
Read more via RTE/BBC/Sky News