Red is the most serious weather warning the Met Office can issue, meaning dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe.

The red warning for the whole of Northern Ireland will be in force from 07:00 GMT to 14:00 on Friday, affecting the morning rush hour.

Bus and train services have been suspended in the country, while all schools have been advised to close.

In a message to customers, supermarket chain Tesco said all its shops in Northern Ireland would be closed on Friday – adding that home deliveries would be cancelled too.

The Irish Republic’s weather service Met Éireann has also issued severe red weather warnings amid the potential for “hurricane force winds” – with BBC Weather also warning it could be the storm of the century to hit the country.

The storm is due to move east through Friday morning so a red warning is in place across Scotland’s central belt, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, from 10:00 to 17:00.

Schools in at least 20 local authorities – covering most of central Scotland – will be closed on Friday.

ScotRail has confirmed all rail services in Scotland will be suspended on Friday, adding that the closure was to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

Train operators Avanti, LNER, Lumo, CrossCountry, and Grand Central, TransPennine Express and Northern have also issued warnings not to travel in the north of England and north Wales on Friday.

The AA urged drivers travelling in red weather warning areas to consider whether a journey is necessary, and if not to postpone it.

Across the UK winds will rapidly increase from west to east on Friday morning into the afternoon with peak gusts of 80-90mph (129-145km/h).

There will likely be a large number of trees blown over with widespread disruption to travel with roads badly affected, and flights, trains and ferries will be subject to cancellations.

Power cuts are also likely, some of which could last for a number of days.