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.

The storm has cut power to homes, grounded hundreds of flights and forced public transport to come to a standstill. Officials have closed schools and warned people to stay indoors

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.