Thousands of schools have been closed on Friday as Storm Eowyn batters the country with winds of over 100mph. The Met Office has issed two rare red weather warnings in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as Storm Eowyn is likely to damage buildings,

Friday’s red weather warning is the first in the north since the Met Office changed how it classifies warnings in 2011

Several weather warnings - ranging from yellow to red - have been issued across the country, with the worst conditions expected to hit Northern Ireland and Scotland

Storm forecasters say "a strong event cannot be ruled out" in the UK - with an explosive cyclogenesis caused by a major drop in air pressure bringing the "risk of a few tornados".

A weather warning for snow and ice has been issued by the Met Office covering the whole of Northern Ireland. It comes into force at 7pm on Friday, January 24, and will remain in place until Saturday, January 25, at 10am. It comes as a red warning for wind due to Storm Eowyn is in force across the region on Friday until 2pm.

Red weather warnings, meaning there is a danger to life, are in place as fierce winds bring widespread disruption.

All schools across Northern Ireland are closed and thousands of homes are without power. It is the first red warning that has been issued in Northern Ireland since a new warning system started in 2011. The last time all NI schools were advised to close due to weather was due to Hurricane Ophelia in 2017.