Millions of people in Ireland and northern parts of the U.K. are being urged to stay at home as hurricane-force winds disabled power networks.

A rare “stay at home” warning has been issued for parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland as a severe storm lashes the region, bringing dangerous 100mph (160 kmh) winds and unleashing travel chaos.

Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are under the top-level red weather warnings for wind from early on Friday.

Storm Eowyn barrelled in from the Atlantic yesterday causing havoc across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power,

Met Éireann, the Republic of Ireland's national meteorological service, said that the country had faced wind gusts of 114mph in County Galway– the highest recorded wind speeds ever recorded on the island.

DUBLIN: Ireland recorded its strongest-ever wind gusts on Friday as "destructive" Storm Eowyn barrelled in from the Atlantic, leaving hundreds

Ireland, Northern 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.

DUBLIN : Record high winds from storm Eowyn battered Ireland and Northern Ireland on Friday, leaving almost one-third of homes and businesses without power and forcing cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closure of schools and public transport.