Storm Éowyn, a tempest of remarkable ferocity, has swept across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, leaving a trail of disruption and prompting the issuance of unprecedented red weather warnings across both regions.

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. Schools have been closed, trains halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the Republic of Ireland,

More than 93,000 homes and business in Northern Ireland are currently without power, NIE has confirmed. Dozens of flights have also been cancelled at Belfast airports this morning as high winds from Storm Éowyn begin to batter Northern Ireland.

Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are under the top-level red weather warnings for wind from early on Friday.

Ireland was hit with wind gusts of 183 kilometres an hour overnight, the strongest since the Second World War, as a winter storm spiralled in from the Atlantic before hitting Scotland.

Speaking at Stormont today, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald spoke about Conor Murphy’s decision to run in elections for the Seanad in the Republic of Ireland. McDonald also says her party plan to hold the newly elected Irish government to account over the issue of reunification.

Millions of people in Ireland and northern parts of the U.K. were urged to stay at home Friday as hurricane-force winds disabled power networks and brought widespread travel disruptions.

Storm Éowyn has begun battering Northern Ireland, bringing with it winds of more than 90mph and leaving 93,000 homes and businesses without power. Northern Ireland has seen the highest gust in 27 years.

Flights, trains and ferries have been cancelled across the UK as 100mph pose a danger to life in parts of the UK.

The red warning for the whole of Northern Ireland will be in force until 14:00 on Friday. It is the first time a red weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland since an impact-based system was introduced in 2011.

This is the first red warning issued for Northern Ireland since a new impact-based alert system was introduced by the Met Office in 2011. It is also the first time a red warning has been issued across the whole of Ireland, with Met Éireann issuing the highest level alert across the Republic.