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

The alert was upgraded from an amber wind warning to a red warning on Thursday.

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,

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

A red wind warning has been issued for the whole of the Republic of Ireland, with Met Éireann warning of a possible "danger to life". The alert comes into effect at varying times from 02:00 on Friday and will end at varying times. Met Éireann has warned that "severe, damaging and destructive winds" are expected, with gusts of up to 130km/h.

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".

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

A red weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland on Friday, as dangerous Storm Éowyn heads towards the UK. The red warning for wind, posing a danger to life, has been issued, while an amber warning is in place for parts of Scotland and the north of England,