All schools in the northern and western part of Britain will be shut and widespread travel disruption is predicted as Storm Gertrude is forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 145km/h.
Snow and ice are also forecast in some areas as the extreme weather continues to batter the British Isles.
A succession of storms since December has seen widespread flooding and major disruption to travel, with the latest misery expected to continue through to the weekend.
The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" warning for high winds in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and northwest and northeast England.
Yellow "be aware" warnings for rain, snow and ice are in place across much of the UK.
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Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles councils have confirmed that all the schools in their areas will be closed to pupils on Friday.
Transport in Scotland is also set to face serious disruption.
The Forth Road Bridge is likely to be closed to all traffic except cars on Friday morning and may be shut entirely as winds peak at around 8am.
ScotRail will operate a limited service with routes in the Highlands and west coast particularly affected.
No trains are expected to run until at least the afternoon between Inverness and Kyle, Thurso and Wick; Perth and Inverness; Glasgow and Fort William, Oban and Mallaig; Dumbarton and Helensburgh; Kilmarnock and Stranraer; and Kilwinning and Ardrossan and Largs.
Ferry passengers on Scotland's CalMac services have been told to expect disruption.
Engineers are also on standby around the country to deal with power outages caused by the extreme weather.
