A ‘major incident’ has been declared on the Isle of Man.

It comes as the Met Office’s red weather warning for the Isle of Man is now in effect.

Forecasters at Ronaldsway has now confirmed that the storm will bring gusts of up to 85mph.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company have cancelled a number of sailings as a result of the predicted bad weather.

While forecasters at Ronaldsway Met Office issued an amber alert on Wednesday for storm force winds of up to 79mph, their UK counterparts said it could be even worse for the Isle of Man.

In a weather report from the United Kingdom Met Office, the island can be seen in the heart of the storm, covered by a dark purple colour.

Ronaldsway forecasters upgraded their warning to ‘red’ early on Thursday.

Here are some of the key messages and stories related to Storm Eowyn you need to know about on Friday:

The full and up to date weather prediction from the Met Office reads: ‘Very deep area of low pressure (Storm Éowyn) affecting the British Isles will peak during Friday morning before gradually easing in the afternoon.

‘South or southwest winds with average speeds of 45-55mph and gusts of 70-80mph increasing with gusts around 85mph, mainly in exposed coastal areas and higher ground.

‘This is expected to cause widespread disruption and damage in places, especially as the peak winds occur at rush hour on a school day as well as due to weakened trees/structures from previous storms.’

We’ll be bringing you the latest updates and information on the storm on our dedicated live blog below.