Ireland and Scotland are braced for a storm spiraling in from the Atlantic, bringing gusts of up to 100 m.p.h., with forecasters warning of a danger to life.

An amber alert for high winds, outside of the red warning, covers parts of the Scottish Borders, and extends up as far as Perth and Dundee, including sections of central Scotland. That alert is in force from 6am to 9pm on Friday.

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".