Ross McKee
BBC News NI

We're bringing our live coverage of the preparations for Storm Éowyn to a close, but coverage will begin again right here shortly after 6am tomorrow.

Until then you can stay up to date on all the latest on the BBC News NI website, Radio Ulster and BBC Newsline (on now until 7pm, with a late bulletin at 10.30pm).

Thanks for staying with us. Today's coverage was written by Finn Purdy, Barry O'Connor, Jess Lawrence and myself, and edited by Ciarán McCauley and Amy Stewart.

Thanks again and until tomorrow, take care.

Here's a quick catch up on what's happened today as Northern Ireland prepares for Storm Éowyn:

• Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers have advised people to stay home on Friday and work from home if possible, with the effects of the storm due to begin in the early hours
• The Northern Ireland red weather warning will be in effect from 7am until 2pm on Friday, while in the Republic the red alert comes into effect at various times from 2am
• It is the first time the entire island has been covered by the most severe level of weather warning

• The police say it's anticipated this storm will bring the strongest winds experienced in Northern Ireland since the 1998 Boxing Day storms and declared it a major incident
• Phones across Northern Ireland received an emergency alert, urging people to stay home on Friday due to the dangers posed by Storm Éowyn
• All schools across the island of Ireland will be closed on Friday, while Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University say they will close tomorrow as well as further education colleges

• There will be be no Translink buses or trains operating in Northern Ireland from Friday morning until at least early afternoon
• Both Belfast's airports have warned of disruption to services
• P&O has announced ferry cancellations between Larne and Cairnryan from 4am to noon and Stena Line services between Ireland and GB are also severely disrupted.
• Tesco and Lidl say their supermarkets across the island will be closed

Image source, Reuters

Tesco says its stores in Northern Ireland will be closed on Friday.

Home delivery and click-and-collect orders tomorrow will be cancelled, it adds.

Stores will "reopen when the red warning is lifted for Northern Ireland and it’s safe to do so".

Earlier Tesco Ireland said its Irish stores would be closed while fellow supermarket chain Lidl said all of its stores across the island would also be shut.

There will major disruption to council services such as cemeteries, bin collections and recycling centres.

Belfast City Council says its cemeteries will not be open for visiting tomorrow and that burials are postponed.

It adds that there will be no bin collections on Friday and its recycling and civic amenity sites will be closed.

Read further information here, external.

Derry City and Strabane Council also says all of its cemeteries will be closed for visiting and burials on Friday.

Refuse collections are also suspended tomorrow and recycling centres are closed.

Further information here, external.

People are advised to check their council’s websites and social media channels for the latest updates on services.

Louise Cullen
BBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent

Farmers have been urged to take precautions ahead of the storm.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said livestock should be kept in a sheltered, secure area away from trees, with all loose objects secured and all doors, windows and gates closed.

Back-up generators should not be used indoors but should be checked and tested.

The Friday sale at Ballymena Livestock Mart in County Antrim has been cancelled and no one should travel there.

Pet owners should keep any animals indoors.

Image source, PA Media

As we reported earlier, all Translink bus and train services, including cross-border services, have been cancelled tomorrow due to Storm Éowyn.

Translink's director of services Ian Campbell says there are plans to reinstate these services at some point on Friday "when it is safe to do so".

Translink anticipates it will be after the red alert ends at 2pm due to debris and fallen trees, and asks for patience while decisions are made.

Up to date information can be found on the Translink website, external or the service's journey planner.

Health trusts are advising that all appointments are cancelled, or should be considered cancelled, unless you have been contacted specifically to say otherwise.

This includes red flag cancer referrals and all scheduled appointments, with "significant disruption" expected across all five health trusts.

The exception is emergency departments and care, which will be operating as normal. However people are advised not to attend unless absolutely necessary.

Here's what each trust is saying:

• South Eastern Health Trust: Assume any scheduled appointments are cancelled, unless you are contacted by the trust to advise otherwise. Appointments affected will be rescheduled as soon as possible
• Southern Health Trust: All outpatient appointments and all elective surgery, including red flag and urgent, are cancelled
• Belfast Health Trust: Assume scheduled appointments are cancelled, unless contacted by the trust and appointments affected will be rescheduled
• Western Health Trust: Assume any scheduled appointments are cancelled, unless contacted and affected appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible
• Northern Health Trust: Assume any scheduled appointments are cancelled, unless you are contacted by the trust. Appointments affected will be rescheduled as soon as possible

While police and politicians have strongly urged against travelling during tomorrow's red weather alert, there may be an occasion that you have to get behind a wheel.

If that's the case - will you be covered by insurance?

According to Malcolm Tarling, who has worked in the insurance industry for many years, yes, you will.

He tells Evening Extra that even during extreme weather events, car insurance policies will operate in the normal way, but that people should avoid driving if possible and take extreme care.

In the event that the vehicles are damaged by winds, Tarling says those with comprehensive insurance policies should allow owners to repair or replace their vehicles.

We've already heard that the storm's impact on Northern Ireland could be the worst since the Boxing Day storm of 1998 - and now the Met Office have told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra that it will be one for "the history books".

Bonnie Diamond, the weather service's civil contingencies advisor for Northern Ireland, said it was first ever red weather warning issued here since the system was installed in 2011.

She says they only happen when the Met Office is "absolutely certain" there is going to be risk to life and widespread damage.

Diamond says that, earlier this week, a high impact yellow alert was issued for high winds, but it became obvious as time passed that something more serious was on the way.

She stresses that people should take this red alert seriously.

“As of today, it has become crystal clear that this is going to be a very serious weather event with extreme winds and that’s why we’ve issued this red warning."

The government emergency alert is being rolled out across Northern Ireland.

The alert, which is being sent to people in areas with a red weather warning, causes people's phones to blare a siren and show a message urging people to stay indoors from early tomorrow morning.

Earlier the government said the alert would go out at about 6pm, but many people have received it in the last few minutes.

And more closures confirmed now, this time in the court service with the Lady Chief Justice's (LCJ) Office saying that all courthouses in Northern Ireland will be shut.

Court business will either take place remotely, administratively or will be adjourned.

Any emergency or urgent applications during 7am and 2pm tomorrow morning will be referred to the judge, the LCJ adds.

Image source, Getty

While schools are closed tomorrow, there is some concern about what could happen to school buildings during Storm Éowyn.

Dr Graham Gault, of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), told BBC Talkback earlier that there is a £450m maintenance backlog at schools, meaning that many buildings already have repair issues to tackle.

“So when something like this comes up with the possibility of presenting more damage to the already crumbling school estate, that hasn’t had decent investment for many years, it is a big worry.

“We are not really sure what the teaching profession will be going into on Monday morning and we just hope it doesn’t come to pass in the way some predictions are suggesting.”

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing more about the emergency alert people will be getting on their phones this evening.

The government are saying that a text alert will be sent to those affected by the red weather warning - mainly Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland - at 6pm.

Phones will make a loud siren-like sound and vibrate, even if they are set on silent.

The alert will go off for about 10 seconds.

"The Emergency Alert system will send a message to every compatible mobile phone in the areas at most risk, containing information about the weather warnings and guidance on how to stay safe," a government statement says.

About 4.5 million people will get the emergency alert in the "largest real life use of the tool to date".

We've just heard from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) ahead of Storm Éowyn, which has confirmed that all vehicle tests - including MOTs, practical and theory tests - on Friday are cancelled.

It said the Driver and Vehicles Agency (DVA) will contact those affected via email as son as possible.

Meanwhile, the department also confirmed that the Strangford Ferry service will be suspended from 7.30am until further notice, while all Rathlin Ferry sailings on Friday are also cancelled.

The DfI says river and sea levels are being monitored and will continue until the weather warnings are over.

Image source, PA Media

Education Minister Paul Givan says closing schools is the “right decision” in light of Storm Éowyn.

He says he sought to notify schools and parents after the danger to life warning was issued “as soon as possible”.

“It is difficult because we do want to have our children in school, it’s where they best learn… but this is a very unique event,” he tells BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra programme.

“It is rare that we would get a red weather warning in Northern Ireland and I think we then need to respond appropriately to that, so I think this is the right decision.”

Asked about the potential damage to school buildings, Givan says he has an emergency response in place ready to ensure those schools affected could open as quickly as possible.

He urged people to take “whatever measures necessary” to keep safe.

“We are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," he adds.

You can listen to Evening Extra live on BBC Sounds or by pressing the 'Listen Live' button at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

There will be be no Translink buses or trains operating in Northern Ireland from Friday morning until early afternoon, Translink has confirmed.

The cancellations will be in place until the red weather warning lifts at 2pm.

The firm's director of service operations, Ian Campbell, says this decision to cancel services "is necessary to ensure the safety of all our customers and employees".

He adds that the services that are running tomorrow will also likely be impacted by the storm as well as by any damage to road and rail routes or by fallen trees and debris.

He says passengers should check Translink's website or social channels for all the latest updates.

Anyone with a booking on a cancelled service will get a refund.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

When you get two press conferences from our top ministers in the space of only three hours, something very serious is happening.

Just as weather events can evolve quickly, so too has advice to our politicians, with the PSNI now leading the response and scaling up their plans.

Both the executive and police have to manage this carefully, trying to avoid creating a sense of panic but ensuring all precautions are taken.

They're relying on people listening to their advice with hopes that the damage will be limited, but bracing themselves and all agencies for potentially a very difficult 24 hours.

Image source, Getty Images

The Northern Ireland Assembly says that given the warning of very dangerous conditions and widespread disruption, and in line with the guidance from the Executive to stay at home if possible, the decision has been taken to close Parliament Buildings tomorrow.

ACC Beck says agency efforts in preparation for the storm will carry on up until the last minute.

"I say to people don't take risks, particularly around the coastal areas etc," he adds.

"We don't want people to go to watch the waves crashing against the shore etc.

"Stay at home and stay safe and people can play a significant part in helping us with that.

Speaking to the assembled press he adds: "And journalists please stay safe as well, don't go looking for that shot."

Image source, BBc

The first minister says that there "is a danger in thinking that this is just like any other storm and it'll impact us in just the same way that storms previously have, that not necessarily the case".

She adds that while previous storms may have been focused on coastal areas this one could come more inland.

She says that agencies are working on preparation but adds it's "very hard to plan for everything".