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 has been hit with record wind gusts of 114 miles (183 kilometers) an hour as a winter storm batters the country and northern parts of the U.K. Schools have been closed, trains halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the Republic of Ireland,

Millions of people in Ireland and northern parts of the U.K. have heeded the advice of authorities to stay at home

The colorful northern lights may reveal themselves to a wide swath of Americans Friday night due to an impending solar storm forecast to reach Earth.

Ireland's national weather service says the country has seen 114 mph wind gusts, the highest ever recorded on the island.

A powerful storm has left hundreds of thousands of homes without power and caused massive travel disruptions in the United Kingdom.