The storm has left homes without power, grounded hundreds of flights, and halted public transportation. Authorities have closed schools and issued warnings urging people to stay indoors for safety.

Parts of Ireland and Northern Ireland are facing severe disruption due to the destructive force of Storm Eowyn, which made landfall early Friday, bringing wind speeds exceeding 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour).

The storm has caused widespread chaos, halting public transportation, closing schools, and blocking roads. Hundreds of flights have been canceled at airports in major cities including Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

ESB Networks reported "unprecedented" damage to its infrastructure, resulting in over 560,000 homes and businesses losing power across both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

According to Met Eireann, Ireland’s meteorological service, wind gusts reached record-breaking speeds of 183 kilometers per hour (114 miles per hour) early Friday near the Galway coast in the west. The previous record, measured at 182 kilometers per hour, was set in 1945.

Met Eireann issued a rare nationwide red wind warning, citing "a danger to life," and warned of "extremely dangerous traveling conditions" as well as the risk of coastal flooding.

The UK Met Office extended its warning to Scotland and Northern Ireland, indicating that the storm could cause significant damage to buildings, uproot trees, and lead to widespread power outages.

In Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland, 4.5 million residents in at-risk areas received urgent phone alerts.

“We have to be clear. People should not travel,” stated Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, also emphasized the threat to life and property, noting that the region was currently "in the eye of the storm."

The Northern Ireland Police referred to Storm Eowyn as an "exceptional weather event" and predicted that the storm’s winds would be the strongest the region has experienced since 1998.

Experts are now examining whether the rapid intensification of Storm Eowyn, which originated in the Atlantic Ocean, may be linked to climate change. While it is challenging to pinpoint the exact impact of climate change on any specific storm, scientists agree that all storms now occur in an atmosphere that is warming at an accelerating rate due to carbon emissions from the ongoing burning of fossil fuels.

Suzanne Gray, a professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, stated that studies suggest winter storms may become more frequent and clustered in the future, with multiple storms occurring in quick succession.