Forecasters have warned the “worst conditions are still to come” as Storm Agnes hits the UK after battering parts of southern Ireland.
Met Office yellow warnings for rain and wind are in force in large parts of the country until Thursday morning.
Gusts as high as 80mph have already been recorded in Wales, while southwest Ireland earlier saw power outages, flooding and downed trees.
Storm Agnes – latest live updates
Scotland, Wales, northern and far southwestern England are now set to feel the effect of this season’s first named storm.
“Some of the worst conditions are still to come,” said Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna.
“The rain warnings are out to cover through the evening and the wind warnings are into the overnight period. We are looking at high gusts developing.”
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Southeastern England and much of the Midlands are set to avoid the bad weather, however.
Capel Curig in northwest Wales has had the strongest gust so far – with 80mph recorded at around 6pm.
Orlock Head in County Down has seen 60mph, while West Freugh in Dumfries & Galloway has had 57mph.
The Met Office said there was still some uncertainty over Agnes’s path, but that 45-55mph gusts are widely expected inland, and 65mph to 75mph possible on hills and coasts.
“The strongest gusts are most likely during the second half of Wednesday afternoon and through the evening,” said the forecaster.
Its yellow wind alert indicates a potential for injury and danger to life from flying debris and large waves. Damage to buildings and power cuts are also possible.
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The wind warning covers a large swathe of the UK and expires at 7am on Thursday, while rain warnings in Scotland expire at 3am.
Northern Ireland’s rain warning ends at 8pm on Wednesday, with 40-50 mm possible at high altitudes such as the Mourne mountains.
Its wind alert, meanwhile, is in force until early morning.
Ireland was first to be hit by Agnes on Wednesday, with pictures showing waves crashing over cars and houses in Dunmore East, Waterford.
Sky’s Ireland correspondent Stephen Murphy said “trees and power lines [were] down right across the southeast of Ireland”.
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Cork council also advised drivers to proceed cautiously due to flooding in Blarney, while further north, in Dublin, firefighters had to deal with felled trees blocking roads.
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National forecaster Met Eireann issued its own orange warning for potentially dangerous winds.
The weather is forecast to stay unsettled for a few days but no UK warnings are in place after Thursday.
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