At least four people died as the southern half of the UK and Ireland was hit by the strongest winds from Storm Eunice.
Large parts of Courier country have suffered major disruption caused by snow and sleet, but it is in the south where the worst of the wind has been witnessed.
Rare red “danger to life” warnings were issued by the Met Office covering areas around the Bristol Channel and the south east of England, including London.
Here is a round-up of incidents that show the full force of Storm Eunice down south.
At least four killed
The first confirmed victim of Storm Eunice was a council worker in Co Wexford who died after responding to reports of fallen trees, police said.
Wexford County Council said: “It is with deep regret and sadness that Wexford County Council confirms that one of our employees was fatally injured earlier today in a workplace accident.”
A spokesperson added: “The accident occurred as the employee attended the scene of a fallen tree in the North Wexford area… Our thoughts and prayers are with the employee’s family, work colleagues and friends at this very difficult time.”
A woman in her 30s died after a tree fell on a car in Haringey, north London.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called shortly after 4pm to reports of a tree falling on a car in Muswell Hill Road, Haringey, near the junction with South Close. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
A man in his 50s died in Netherton, Merseyside, after debris struck the windscreen of a vehicle he was travelling in, and a man in his 20s died in Alton, Hampshire, after a car collided with a tree.
Record gust of 122mph on Isle of Wight
On the Isle of Wight, a gust of 122mph was recorded at The Needles. It is thought to be a new wind record for England.
The Needles on the Isle of Wight recorded a wind gust of 122 mph this morning
This is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England#StormEunice ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/aNYMnFbMvT
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 18, 2022
During England’s “Great Storm” of October 1987, wind speeds peaked at 115mph at Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, while also reaching 99mph at Gatwick Airport and 94mph in central London.
RNLI station roof ripped off
The roof of the lifeboat station at Sennen Cove, near Penzance, came off and landed on power cables.
Sam Smart of the neighbouring Smart Surf School said: “It is as dangerously windy as I’ve ever known it.”
Mr Smart said the people of Sennen Cove are “especially sad” for the station, which has been evacuated, because of their respect for the local area.
“The people of Sennen Cove are generally used to the storms, to be honest, but we’re a bit shocked with the power of the wind this time around.”
People blown off their feet
The wind has been strong enough to blow people off their feet in the street.
These people get blown over by the wind as Storm Eunice batters people to the ground in Croydon, South London.#StormEunice pic.twitter.com/ZUM63K93Ae
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) February 18, 2022
This video shows people hitting the ground as gusts hit Croydon in South London.
Dozens of flights cancelled
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said at least 436 flights to, from or within the UK have been cancelled so far.
The highest proportion was at Heathrow, where 20% of flights were cancelled.
YouTube station Big Jet TV has seen record audiences as hundreds of thousands of people tuned in from all over the world to watch pilots — including one on a flight from Aberdeen — battling against the toughest conditions to land safely.
British Airways said it is suffering from “significant disruption”, with dozens of flights cancelled.
Roof of former Millennium Dome shredded
The O2 Arena, formerly known as the Millennium Dome, has been severely damaged.
Witness Mala Sharma said “more and more parts are getting ripped off”, adding, “it’s going to be a safety issue for people around”.
More and more of the Dome is being shredded pic.twitter.com/EUgyH2ryvK
— Ben Hubbard (@BJFHubbard) February 18, 2022
She said that it happened “right in front of my eyes” and that the damage “started off with a patch” but then a “chunk” of the dome roof ripped off.
WATCH: Historic tree crashes to the ground
Locals have said they are “devastated” after a large tree collapsed in the town of Bude, Cornwall.
Tree down in Bude video from Kai Wilson Page pic.twitter.com/nUMFPOzN4X
— North Devon News (@NorthDevonNews) February 18, 2022
Video shared to social media shows the tree’s roots being ripped from the earth, crumbling a nearby wall as it fell to the ground in the Triangle – a park in the centre of the town.
Tom Cox, a 25-year-old who has lived in the town his whole life, said the tree had been a “big part of Bude”.
“Everyone is devastated,” he added.
Cardiff sports dome destroyed
Footage showed an inflatable sports dome at the Cardiff International Sports Campus collapsed and flapping in the wind.
A giant inflatable sports dome in Cardiff has been destroyed by #StormEunice 🌬️
Luckily, nobody was hurt when it collapsed. More here: https://t.co/k7refTksLX pic.twitter.com/9Z4J2ahBIN
— ITV Wales News (@ITVWales) February 18, 2022
The air dome, which was opened in 2017, is similar to those in use at Chelsea and Ajax football clubs.
People seriously injured by falling debris
Thames Valley Police said a member of the public sustained serious injuries when they were struck by “falling debris” in Henley-on-Thames.
⚠️ 🚨 DANGER DUE TO STORM EUNICE
A member of the public have been struck by falling debris from a roof in Station Road, Henley-on-Thames caused by #StormEunice
They have been taken to hospital with serious injuries by our colleagues from @SCAS999 pic.twitter.com/oHOIV4bJu3
— Thames Valley Police (@ThamesVP) February 18, 2022
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) confirmed two people had been injured in separate incidents.
A man was taken to hospital after being injured by falling debris in Waterloo, south London, at around midday.
Another man was taken to hospital with a head injury after being struck by a tree in Streatham, south London.
Church spire toppled
A church spire in Somerset has toppled to the ground.
The incident happened at St Thomas’s Church in Wells.
@talkRADIO St Thomas church spire in Wells in Somerset has toppled….. pic.twitter.com/1lhVU6x1CW
— steve day (@djstay81) February 18, 2022
Matthew Hodson, 17, told the BBC: “I noticed that a bit of the concrete had moved slightly. It kept moving the more violent the wind became… then it just fell.”
Mr Hodson said, luckily, no one was injured.
The church vicar, Claire Towns, said they now had a “major restoration” on their hands.
