Chris Page
BBC News Ireland correspondent

The winds really are ferocious here in Westport, County Mayo.

Storm Éowyn made landfall here on the west coast at about 03:00.

Looking out my hotel window it simply doesn't feel safe to venture out at the moment.

People do seem to be heeding the advice of the authorities to stay indoors, I've only seen one or two vehicles passing along the road in the past couple of hours.

This could be the worst weather we have seen on the west coast in many decades, with southern and western counties bearing the brunt of the storm at the moment.

The deputy first minister has said the worst of the storm is here and will carry on through the next few hours.

Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Ulster Programme, Emma Little-Pengelly said the storm “will blow over” and “we will get through it".

She again urged the public to stay home and stay safe.

Image source, PA Media

More than 93,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland are without power.

NIE networks say that restoration efforts "will take significant time as crews cannot begin to work until it is safe to do so".

The company adds that it will "begin assessing the damage to the network after 14:00 once the red weather warning has been lifted".

Thousands of homes and businesses are without power because of Storm Éowyn, external.

NIE Networks says due to the number of faults they are experiencing on the network they are unable to provide an estimated restoration time for those without power.

You can check if anywhere in your local area has been impacted and if you are without power, you can report it to NIE Networks here, external.

The first minister says the potential risk to life and property damage is "very real".

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Michell O'Neill urges people "to be very safe" including by not making unnecessary journeys and stay at home if you can.

She adds that she has just been briefed by the civil contingencies unit and the police and the situation is as was forecast yesterday.

Image source, PA Media

The Met Office says a red weather warning means dangerous conditions with widespread disruption.

It advises people to expect:

• Flying debris resulting in danger to life
• Large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes
• Very dangerous driving conditions with fallen trees on roads
• Power cuts affecting other services, such as mobile phone coverage
• Damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down
• Roads, bridges and railway lines closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights

It is the first time a red weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland since an impact-based system was introduced in 2011.

Previous red warnings were issued on a different basis.

The worst of the storm is probably still to come in Northern Ireland, but here's where we currently stand with the strongest wind gusts recorded so far:

• 92.2mph (148km/h) Killowen, County Down
• 78mph (114km/h) Thomastown, County Fermanagh
• 76.3mph (124km/h) Orlock Head, County Down
• 71.1mph (114km/h) Katesbridge, County Down

The Met Office red warning has now officially come into effect for Northern Ireland.

It is due to remain in place until 14:00 GMT.

During the warning the Met Office warns of very strong winds causing very dangerous conditions with widespread disruption and significant impacts expected.

There are already several roads in Northern Ireland closed due to fallen trees:

• Belfast: Ballylesson/Hillhall Road at Junction of Mill Road
• Craigavon: Gilford Roadd at Clanbrassil Drive - Dungannon Road at Moss Road to 31 Lurgan Road
• Lurgan: Warringstown Road at Nisa
• County Down: A26 Church Road at Ballynahinch

Image source, PA Media

Provisional new records for wind speed have been recorded in the Republic Ireland, with hurricane-force sustained winds of 85 mph (137 km/h) at Mace Head, County Galway.

There were gusts of 114 mph (183 km/h) recorded at the same location.

The previous records were sustained wind of 81mph (131 km/h) and gusts of 113 mph (182 km/h), both recorded in Limerick in 1945.

The strongest gusts for Northern Ireland for far are 92.2mph (148km/h) recorded in Killowen, County Down.

The current record for wind gusts recorded in Northern Ireland was 124mph (200km/h) at Kilkeel in County Down in 1974.

Good morning and welcome back to our live page coverage of Storm Éowyn.

You can keep up with the latest developments here and on the BBC News NI website, as well as Radio Ulster and BBC Newsline.

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."