Storm Éowyn, pronounced ‘Ay-oh-win’, has been advancing toward Ireland and the United Kingdom and is expected to bring gusty winds, heavy rain and some snow to the region Friday and Saturday.

Storm Éowyn will bring a “weather bomb” to Ireland and the UK, unleashing destructive winds and heavy rain, the Met Office forecaster said.

Ireland is preparing for extreme weather conditions Thursday afternoon and evening. Storm Éowyn is a so-called bomb cyclone and will possibly break European storm records. And its passage over Ireland could bring wind gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour.

Millions of people in Scotland received an emergency alert to their mobile phones after the Met Office issued a red danger to life warning for wind. The Cabinet Office alert at around 6pm on Thursday in response to Storm Eowyn was the largest real-life use of the emergency system to date.

It comes as forecasters warned Storm Eowyn could bring winds of up to 100mph in areas affected by the rare weather alert across Scotland, Northern Ireland and north Wales on Frida