Schools in many parts of Scotland have been shut as the country braced itself for hurricane-force winds.
Eight local authorities closed all their schools early on Thursday morning, while at least six more said schools would shut at lunchtime.
Winds of up to 100mph have been forecast, with the strongest gusts expected to hit the west of Scotland and the central belt from 12pm, and from 3pm in the east, hitting rush-hour traffic.
No school in Glasgow - Scotland's biggest local authority - will open. East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire councils also said all their schools were closed.
All classes at Glasgow and Strathclyde universities were cancelled, affecting thousands of students. Glasgow Caledonian university was open, but asked students to take travel advice if they planned to come in.
Although Scotland will bear the brunt of the bad weather, other parts of the UK could also be affected by strong winds.
Lindsay Dovey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Gusts of up to 70mph are expected in northern England and north west Wales. Across central England and East Anglia, we'll have gusts of 55 to 60mph, and up to 55mph in the south of the UK."
The weather also brought disruption to Scotland's transport network. The Government warned that key travel routes are likely to be closed and severe gales could lead police to advise against all travel. The Forth Bridge is expected to close after 3pm as a precaution against the high winds.
Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The very latest information from the Met Office's chief forecaster shows that we can expect very severe gales, at wind speeds not seen for many years, across large parts of western, central and southern Scotland throughout Thursday.
"On the basis of the earlier red warning from the Met Office, some councils had already taken the precaution of closing schools early to make sure that parents can safely collect children before the most dangerous weather and travel conditions arrive."