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. Schools have been closed, trains halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the Republic of Ireland,

A powerful storm has left hundreds of thousands of homes without power and caused massive travel disruptions in the United Kingdom.

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

The storm brought record-breaking winds as it battered Ireland, Scotland and northern England on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of electricity customers were in the dark.

Hundreds of thousands of homes lost power as gusts of 183 kilometers per hour lashed the western coast of Ireland. In Scotland, hundreds of schools were closed and train operator ScotRail suspended all services.

Storm Eowyn Friday continued to cause power outages for hundreds of thousands, knocked down trees and disrupted transportation as it moved across Scotland and Northern Ireland into Britain's West Midlands region.

Ireland's national weather service says the country has seen 114 mph wind gusts, the highest ever recorded on the island.

Two rare red weather warnings, meaning there is a danger to life, are in place for Northern Ireland and Scotland.