Storm Eunice is causing travel chaos, with hundreds of flights cancelled, rail lines blocked and road bridges closed.
A rare “do not travel” alert was issued across Britain’s railways, as eight operators suspended all services.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said at least 436 flights due to take off or land at UK airports were cancelled on Friday.
Meanwhile, both the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge and the M48 Severn Bridge, which link England and Wales across the River Severn, were closed due to high winds.
These are the major developments so far:
Casualties
One man has died after being struck by a falling tree in Co Wexford, police in Ireland said.
Elsewhere, Thames Valley Police said a member of the public sustained serious injuries when they were struck by “falling debris” in Henley-on-Thames.
Storm rips off part of London's O2 roof
London’s O2 arena has been shut after parts of its roof were ripped off in high winds as Storm Eunice struck.
Some of the white covering on the venue could be seen flapping in the strong gusts, in footage shared on social media.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said around 1,000 people were evacuated from the building but there were no reports of any injuries.
Stay-at-home warnings
Across the UK, but particularly in the worst-affected areas, people have been asked to stay at home.
The Environment Agency also urged weather watchers and amateur photographers to resist the temptation to try and capture dramatic footage of Storm Eunice’s impact.
Emergency services and the Met Office warned people to stay at home.
Boris Johnson said: “We should all follow the advice and take precautions to keep safe.”
Power outages
Tens of thousands of homes have had their power cut off.
Western Power Distribution said that, as of 1.30pm, more than 140,000 homes were affected in its area, with around 90,000 of these in the south-west of England, and 40,000 in Wales.
Travel disruption
Road, river and rail have all been affected.
Several bridges were closed, including both Severn Bridges on the M4 and M48, the Humber Bridge between North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, and the Britannia Bridge connecting Anglesey with mainland Wales.
Major roads including the A66 cross-Pennine route and the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow were partially closed before reopening later.
Train operators across Britain have urged passengers to avoid travelling on Friday as emergency 50mph speed limits are in place in many areas, with no trains operating in Wales for the entire day, and severe disruption out of London.
On the water, P&O Ferries suspended all sailings between Dover and Calais, while the Sandbanks ferry connecting Poole in Dorset and Studland was also halted.
And in the skies, passengers on a flight from Bordeaux to London Gatwick endured two aborted landings before their plane was put in a holding pattern over the south coast and then forced to return to the French city.
Dozens of flights were cancelled, with hundreds of delays across UK airports.
Winds gust over 100mph
Gusts of up to 122mph have been recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, the Met Office said.
At Mumbles Head near Swansea, on the South Wales coast, gusts reached 87mph, while at North Wyke near Dartmoor in Devon they have hit 82mph.
During Storm Arwen in November 2021, wind speeds peaked at 98mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.
Closures
Schools in the worst-affected areas, such as south west England and South Wales, have shut for the day.
A number of attractions including the London Eye, Legoland and Warwick Castle were also temporarily closed.
Royal Mail said it was forced to suspend postal services and close delivery offices in some areas.
And communications giant Openreach said it had to cancel some customer appointments, with the storm expected to cause damage to its network and services.
