At least 220,000 homes are without power and at least three people are dead after St Jude's Storm made its angry way across southern Britain.
The storm has also left many trees uprooted, many homes and other buildings damaged and at least 220,000 homes without power.
A 17-year-old girl died after a tree fell onto the static home she was sleeping in at Hever, Kent, while a man in his fifties was killed in Watford, Hertfordshire when his car was crushed after a tree fell on it.
A 14-year-old boy, named locally as Dylan Alkins, is also feared dead after being swept out to sea in Newhaven, East Sussex yesterday afternoon.
Several other have been injured by falling debris.
Millions of commuters have been left stranded and warned not to travel today unless it is essential, with at least 40 railway lines blocked, roads left impassable and hundreds of flights cancelled because of the most dangerous storm for years.
The Environment Agency has 19 flood warnings and 147 flood alerts in place and rough seas left two cross-Channel ferries carrying 450 passengers stranded outside Dover.
The Met Office said the strongest winds of the storm reached 99mph, recorded at The Needles, three large chalk rocks off the western coast of the Isle of Wight. The strongest winds of the Great Storm of 1987 reached 120 mph.
Turnpike Lane in north London is closed after a tree feel onto a double decker bus. Trees have fallen over many areas of southern Britain.
A house in Hounslow, west London, has been destroyed after a tree fell on it, causing a gas explosion. Neighbouring houses were also damaged. Remarkably, it seems that nobody was killed.
It was also remarkable that nobody was killed when the storm tore down a whole row of shopfront scaffolding in Leyton, east London.
In central London, a crane on Downing Street collapsed onto the roof of the Cabinet Office, which houses the Deputy Prime Minister's Office, just yards from the Cenotaph, past which thousands will march in just under two weeks' time to mark Remembrance Sunday.
Travel operators have taken major precautions to protect passengers. Many train companies in the South are running amended timetables, with some not operating at all until late morning.
On the roads both Severn bridges are closed, the A249 Sheppey Crossing in Kent is closed due to strong winds and there are 30mph speed limits on the Dartford Crossing in Kent.
About 130 flights are cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport today, while ferry journeys between Britain and the Continent have also been disrupted, with P&O Condor, DFDS Seaways and Hovertravel all reporting cancellations.
More than 40 railway line blockages caused by falling trees have been cleared, but more are expected to be found, Network Rail's managing director of operations, Robin Gisby, has said.
Several hundred Network Rail (NR) staff worked through the night to deal with disruption caused by the severe weather.
St Jude's will now make its way across Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.
SHUTDOWN! At least 220,000 homes without power, trains suspended and 130 Heathrow flights cancelled as 99mph St Jude's Storm lashes Britain
At least 220,000 homes in southern England are without electricity after trees and high-winds down power cables Roads in chaos as trees fall onto roads as high winds howl through the south of England and Wales
Flash floods reported in Cornwall, Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex - Devon and Cornwall police report 122 incidents
Amendments and cancellations on First Capital Connect, Southeastern, Greater Anglia and Stansted Express
Also disruption on East Coast, c2c, First Great Western, Southern, Gatwick Express and South West Trains
Ferries from Poole and Weymouth to Guernsey & Jersey cancelled and hovercrafts to Isle of Wight suspended
About 130 flights cancelled at London Heathrow Airport today - double the previous estimate
A 17-year-old girl died today after a tree fell onto the static home she was sleeping in at Hever, Kent
Boy, 14, believed to have drowned yesterday after swimming with friends in waves off Newhaven, East Sussex
Canoeist dies after being pulled from swollen River Tees near Barnard Castle, County Durham, after capsizing
Have you taken any pictures of the damage caused by St Jude's Storm? Send them to us at pictures@dailymail.co.uk
Hurricane-force winds and torrential rain are battering southern England with gusts of almost 100mph ripping up trees, causing flash flooding and leaving at least 220,000 homes without power.
The St Jude's storm has claimed the lives of three people, a 17-year-old girl died today after a tree fell onto the static home she was sleeping in at Hever, Kent, while a man in his fifties was killed in Watford when his car was crushed.
Several others have been injured after they were hit by debris.
A 14-year-old boy, named locally as Dylan Alkins, is also feared dead after being swept out to sea in Newhaven, East Sussex yesterday afternoon.
Millions of commuters have been left stranded and warned not to travel today unless it is essential, with at least 40 railway lines blocked, roads left impassable and hundreds of flights cancelled because of the most dangerous storm for years.
The Environment Agency has 19 flood warnings and 147 flood alerts in place and rough seas left two cross-Channel ferries carrying 450 passengers stranded outside Dover.
The Met Office said wind reached more than 99mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight at 5am, but less exposed areas are also being buffeted by 70mph gusts.
The strongest winds recorded reached 99mph at The Needles, off the west coast of the Isle of Wight
Crushed: A cyclists ducks under this fallen tree in Hornsey, north London, which has completely destroyed a car during Britain's worst storm for years
Devastation: This home in Hounslow, west London, was destroyed by a gas explosion this morning after a tree fell on the property - but remarkably no-one was seriously injured.
At least 15 train companies were forced to suspend their services this morning.
THE HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAIN BATTERING UK
STRONGEST WINDS
1) Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight – 99mph
2) Langdon Bay, Kent – 82mph
3) Isle of Portland, Dorset – 81mph
4) Andrewsfield, Essex – 79mph
5) Odiham, Hampshire – 78mph
2) Langdon Bay, Kent – 82mph
3) Isle of Portland, Dorset – 81mph
4) Andrewsfield, Essex – 79mph
5) Odiham, Hampshire – 78mph
MOST RAINFALL
1) Otterbourne, Hampshire – 50mm
2) Wychcroft, East Sussex – 45.4mm
3) Cardiff, South Glamorgan – 44.8mm
4) Hurn, Dorset – 42mm
5) Wiggonholt, West Sussex – 37.2mm
2) Wychcroft, East Sussex – 45.4mm
3) Cardiff, South Glamorgan – 44.8mm
4) Hurn, Dorset – 42mm
5) Wiggonholt, West Sussex – 37.2mm
Travel operators have taken major precautions to protect passengers. Many train companies in the South are running amended timetables, with some not operating at all until late morning.
On the roads both Severn bridges are closed, the A249 Sheppey Crossing in Kent is closed due to strong winds and there are 30mph speed limits on the Dartford Crossing in Kent.
About 130 flights are cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport today, while ferry journeys have also been disrupted, with P&O Condor, DFDS Seaways and Hovertravel all reporting cancellations.
More than 40 railway line blockages caused by falling trees have been cleared, but more are expected to be found, Network Rail's managing director of operations, Robin Gisby, has said.
Several hundred Network Rail (NR) staff worked through the night to deal with disruption caused by the severe weather.
Special trains have been used to clear tracks, and Mr Gisby said: 'NR is dealing with this severe weather in exactly the way that we and the train operators planned over the weekend.
'We have had several hundred staff on duty through the night and into the morning to monitor conditions and react to any damage or disruption caused by hurricane-force winds. Safety remains our top priority.'
He went on: 'While conditions were as forecast during the early part of the morning, the damage caused by the storm has been more severe than expected as it has tracked eastwards to the north of London and across to East Anglia.
'As a result, the West Coast, East Coast and Midland mainnes are all currently blocked at their southern ends as a result of fallen trees and damage to power lines and all services are currently suspended on the Anglia route, where the storm is currently.'
Damage: A woman looks at a car that has been crushed under a fallen tree in Hornsey, north London
St Jude's Storm pulled up this tree in Islington, north London. Emergency services urged the capital's dwellers not to use motorbikes or bicycles as they are particularly vulnerable in high cross winds
Path of destruction: The St Jude's storm hit Britain at around 3am on Monday morning before sweeping across the UK dumping heavy rain carried by 99mph winds
THE ST JUDE'S STORM IN NUMBERS: HOW 100MPH HAS HIT BRITAIN
- 99mph gusts measured on Isle of Wight
- 220,000 homes left without power
- 40 railway lines blocked by 100 trees
- 15 train companies cancel services
- 130 flights cancelled from Heathrow
- 19 flood warnings and 147 flood alerts
- Two people killed by falling trees
- 220,000 homes left without power
- 40 railway lines blocked by 100 trees
- 15 train companies cancel services
- 130 flights cancelled from Heathrow
- 19 flood warnings and 147 flood alerts
- Two people killed by falling trees
He added that he was hopeful that at around 9am services would begin to resume south of London once obstructions had been cleared from lines.
Mr Gisby went on: 'At the latest count we have had more than 100 trees down across the southern half of the country and we expect to find more as we complete our safety checks this morning.'
Transport for London (TfL) said there was disruption to six Underground lines due to debris from the storm on the tracks.
The Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly lines were all partially closed while workers removed fallen trees and other obstructions, a TfL spokesman said.
North west London, where more of the Tube lines are uncovered, was the area most heavily affected by disruptions.
There are more than 220,000 households who woke to no electricity this morning.
Tracey Elsey, communications manager for UK power networks, told Radio 4’s Today Programme: ‘We’ve seen a lot more powers cuts and damage reported particularly in the last hour. We’ve got close to 140,000 people without power at the moment – that’s properties, so homes and businesses.
‘We’ve still got about 40,000 people off in the South East, that’s our region that runs from Brighton up to Kent. In our East of England region, which goes from Essex up to the North Norfolk coast to we’ve seen a huge rise in reported power cuts – 100,000 properties off power.
‘(The power lines) are hit by trees – the branches touch the overhead lines or any other debris that’s whipped up by the wind overnight can affect the overhead power lines.
(The system) is built to be resilient to the weather. It’s just that when we have extremely high winds, it can bring down lots of trees. We actually run a year-round tree-cutting programme, and spend about £21million a year trying to keep the trees away from our overhead lines.’
Collapse: A car drives past a toppled tree in Chinnor south Oxfordshire, earlier today
Media storm: A news stand knocked over by wind on Tottenham Court Road in central London
The London Ambulance Service is encouraging Londoners to take precautions to stay safe if they venture out
Chaos: Departure boards at Victoria station showing train cancellations. Commuters face rush-hour chaos as they wake up to the impact of the worst storm in years
Stark: Rail services in southern Britain have been cancelled or are running to amended timetables because of fears for passenger safety
A man was pulled from the water at a Welsh port by a lifeboat crew after his cries for help were heard early today.
He had been clinging on to a rope dangling over the quayside at Holyhead, Anglesey.
The town's inshore lifeboat and coastguards went to his aid after a member of the RNLI, who lives nearby, heard shouts for help at 4.26am. It was windy and raining at the time.
A coastguard spokesman said : "There is no indication as to how he got into the water and what he was doing in the secure port area."
The man was handed over to paramedics and taken to hospital at Bangor.
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