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.

Record high winds from Storm Eowyn battered Ireland and Northern Ireland on Friday, leaving 560,000 homes and businesses without power and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closure of schools and public transport.

Status Red weather warnings are now active right across the island of Ireland as the country battles Storm Eowyn's hurricane force winds. More than 500,000 people are without power with more outages expected throughout the day.