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.

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland are braced for one of the most intense storms in decades, with forecasters warning of extremely rare hurricane force winds and a danger to life

The storm brought 100 mile-per-hour winds to the island and also battered Scotland and northern England. Britain’s weather office issued a red warning, its highest level of alert.

Damage could be seen in Belfast in Northern Ireland on Friday as a major storm continued to lash Ireland and Scotland with hurricane-force winds.

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.

Ireland has called in help from England and France to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people after the most disruptive storm for years.

The storm had knocked out power to more than half a million utility customers by early Friday as it moved across Ireland.

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland are braced for a storm spiraling in from the Atlantic, bringing gusts of up to 100 m

Storm Eowyn in pictures: 27 dramatic images as Scotland battered by 100mph 'hurricane-force' winds

UK hit by 83mph winds and heavy rain warnings after Storm Eowyn kills two - Dozens of Heathrow flights cancelled as new Met Office warnings for wind and rain come into effect on Monday morning

UK braces for 80mph winds and widespread power cuts after Storm Eowyn kills two - Dozens of flights from Heathrow have been cancelled as the Met Office issues warnings for more wind and rain