Record high winds from Storm Eowyn battered Ireland and Northern Ireland on Friday, leaving 560,000 homes and businesses without power and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closure of schools and public transport.

Experts warn the explosive "bomb cyclone" will bring deadly winds, heavy rain and snow and is expected to cause widespread disruption across the UK. A wind speed of 114mph brought by Storm Eowyn has been recorded in Ireland, the fastest since records began, forecaster Met Eireann said.

Schools were closed, trains halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the Republic of Ireland, neighboring Northern Ireland and Scotland as the system, named Storn Éowyn by weather authorities, roared in.