Thousands of schools are expected to close, with drivers also warned to stay off the roads and rail services suspended amid rare red weather warnings as Storm Eowyn gets set to batter parts of the UK.
The wind alerts, which cover all of Northern Ireland from 7am on Friday until 2pm, and parts of Scotland from 10am to 5pm, warn of "very dangerous conditions" and "widespread disruption".
Tornados could also hit parts of the UK ahead of the storm, with forecasters warning of a danger to life.
As many as 4.