All schools in Northern Ireland have been advised to close on Friday, after a rare red weather warning for wind was issued, ahead of Storm Éowyn.
The entire island of Ireland is now under red warnings for the first time.
The Met Office says there is a danger to life.
The Northern Ireland warning will be in effect from 07:00 until 14:00 GMT on Friday.
The Department of Education (DE) has issued the advice to all schools.
In advice to schools the Met Office had warned of "very dangerous conditions" and "widespread disruption".
Education Minister Paul Givan said: "A red weather warning has been issued for Storm Éowyn and the Education Authority has advised that all schools should close tomorrow.
"I understand this will impact on the work of schools and indeed on other businesses and services, but the decision has been taken to avoid any potential risk to life for children and young people as well as staff," he said.
"Schools should put plans in place today for remote learning so that pupils can study at home," he added.
The last time all schools in Northern Ireland were advised to close due to weather was due to Hurricane Ophelia in 2017.
Universities and Further Education Colleges will issue their own advice.
Queen's University Belfast have said it will close on Friday.
An amber warning will also be in place in Northern Ireland from 06:00 until 21:00.
The Met Office says a red weather warning means dangerous conditions with widespread disruption.
It advises people to expect:
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.
It is also the first time a red warning has been issued across the whole island of Ireland.
Currently, 19 Aer Lingus flights have been cancelled flying between Belfast and GB into and out of Belfast City Airport on Friday.
P&O has announced ferry cancellations between Larne and Cairnryan from 04:00 to noon on Friday due to the storm.
Dublin Airport said that forecasted weather could lead to "some disruption" to Friday's flight schedule and that passengers should contact their airline directly for updates.
The Met Office suggest preparing for the storm in a number of ways, including:
Storm Éowyn is the fifth named storm of the winter season, and follows Storm Darragh which hit on 5 December.
Winds are expected to rapidly increase on Friday morning with peak gusts of 80-90 mph (130-145 km/h) and possibly up to 100mph along some exposed coasts.
The strongest gust ever recorded in Northern Ireland was 124mph in Kilkeel in County Down on 12 January 1974.
The Met Office has advised people to stay indoors and avoid travelling by road.
A red wind warning was issued for the whole of the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, with Met Éireann warning of a possible "danger to life".
There are other warnings across parts of the United Kingdom.
Belfast City Airport has warned passengers to expect disruption to flights on Friday.
In the Republic of Ireland, Met Éireann has warned that "severe, damaging and destructive winds" are expected.
The red alert there comes into effect at various times from 02:00.
Speaking to RTÉ, chairman of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group said Storm Éowyn would "probably be among the severest storms" Ireland had ever seen.
An Garda Síochána (Irish police) warned all members of the public that a red severe weather warning means "shelter in place".
With Storm Éowyn expected to bring damage and disruption, those tasked with any clean up operation could face further problems this weekend.
A yellow warning for strong wind has been issued for Northern Ireland on from 08:00 - 15:00 on Sunday.
The Met Office is expecting a further period of strong of strong winds with gusts up to 60mph (100km/h) quite widely, and up to 70mph (115km/h) around exposed coasts and hills.