Three people have been killed on roads as Storm Eunice hits the UK
A woman in her 30s has died in north London, a man in his 50s has died in Merseyside and a man in his 20s has died in Hampshire
Several other people have been injured by falling trees and flying debris, while another man has died in the Republic of Ireland
About 200,000 homes are without power across the UK, according to Environment Secretary George Eustice
It has brought widespread travel disruption with hundreds of trains and flights cancelled
In London, parts of the O2 Arena's roof have been shredded
A wind gust of 122mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England
An amber warning for wind is in place across the Midlands, southern England and Wales until 21:00 GMT
There are yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in Northern Ireland and Scotland
Red weather warnings are rarely issued by the Met Office, with the last one coinciding with Storm Arwen in November 2021.
The last time it issued a red warning for wind - like it has for Friday - was in March 2018.
Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders described Storm Eunice as one of the "most impactful storms" to hit southern and central parts of the UK in years.
Lisa Heywood, 42, runs the Blue Anchor House holiday apartments in Somerset and says Storm Eunice has already cost her more than £1,000 in cancelled bookings and additional costs.
Image source, Lisa Heywood“We didn’t realise how windy it was when we first came here in May last year, any storm we’ve had just whirls around the house," she tells the BBC.
“I was really worried about the hot tub lids because, during the storm we had yesterday, they were lifting up and I thought they were not going to stay in place overnight.
“I went to Travis Perkins to buy more cement bags and have placed them on anything I couldn’t bring inside.
“I’ve had two cancellations this weekend and someone who was meant to be checking out tomorrow has checked out tonight, because they think it may be too dangerous to travel on Friday."
Lisa says she has equipped other guests who are staying with candles and torches and told them to call her with any problems.
Here is BBC Weather's Chris Fawkes with the forecast for the next 24 hours.
Latest weather forecast for the UK
As much of the UK prepares for Storm Eunice to make landfall overnight, here's a reminder of the latest developments so far:
Image source, Cassie RavenscroftCassie and her husband Dave on their last skiing trip in Italy, 2019
Cassie Ravenscroft and her husband Dave, who both live in London, were hoping to fly to Zurich for their honeymoon skiing holiday on Friday morning, but the coming storm has meant their flight has been cancelled.
"I'm really frustrated because we haven't been on holiday for two years," 34-year-old Mrs Ravenscroft says.
"We’ve been worrying about Covid and self-isolated this week, and a storm is potentially ruining our holiday plans."
She says frustrations have mounted further after their wedding was pushed back by a year to October 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions, adding: "It feels like we can’t do anything we want to - it's the one holiday you really want to work out."
The couple have decided to take the risk of rebooking their flight for tomorrow afternoon.
"It feels like a risk booking something for tomorrow but that’s losing whole days of skiing," she says.
"We’re losing the days and we’re already paid for the hotel if we’re not going to get there in time."
"It’s an anxious wait now."
Many schools across south Wales have confirmed their closure on Friday - including those in Caerphilly.
As a result, Christina Harrhy, chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough Council, says council staff have been queuing up to deliver free school meals to pupils' homes.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
It might be best to avoid long bridges tomorrow.
The Humber Bridge, between East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, could be closed due to Storm Eunice's strong winds.
Drivers have been asked to avoid the bridge "unless completely necessary" due to forecast 80 mph+ gusts.
The 1.4-mile-long (2.2km) suspension bridge runs high over the broad estuary between the two counties and "might have to close completely", the bridge board said.
Crossings can be hazardous in strong winds on the bridge that opened in 1981.
Bridge staff are due to post social media updates for users on Friday about any potential closure.
The M48 Severn Bridge will be closed from around 23:00 GMT as the UK braces for Storm Eunice, says National Highways senior network planner, Frank Bird.
"Our focus now is the last minute preparations," he tells the BBC.
"The M48 - which is the old Severn crossing will be closed for safety reasons because we’re expected the wind to whip up the Severn Estuary."
He warns that the M4 crossing of the Severn into Wales is also likely to be closed later this evening.
"We just think it’s too risky to allow high-sided vehicles, cars with caravans and roof boxes - and motorcycles - to use either of those two Severn crossings," he explains.
"If you don’t have to travel tomorrow and you can put it off until Saturday then we would really urge you to do that.
"We know the wind is going to swing round tomorrow and strengthen.
"The wind is going to come through the country during the day time – generally the last five or six storm that we’ve had have predominantly been overnight when people have been at home and they’ve battened down the hatches and there ‘s been a lot less traffic around."
Image source, Michelle DuffySchools in nine counties in the Republic of Ireland will be closed tomorrow after Irish Meteorological Service Met Eireann issued a red wind warning for Cork, Kerry, Clare and Waterford.
Those living in the worst-affected areas have been advised to remain indoors for the duration of the storm, expected to be from just after midnight.
An orange snow warning has also been issued for several counties in the north and west, including Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon.
The storm is expected to be powerful but relatively short across Ireland, but is expected to leave a trail of destruction including fallen trees, power outages and coastal flooding.
Bus services will not operate during the red warning - Irish Rail will operate provided there is no damage to tracks.
Tommy Ryan from the County and City Management Association says crews are on standby, as well as Civil Defence if necessary.
The Irish Coast Guard has appealed to fishermen and mariners to be "mindful" of the dangerous conditions, with walkers and sightseers also urged to avoid seafronts and cliff edges.
The Met Eireann storm warning for Kerry, Cork and Clare comes into effect at 03:00 GMT on Friday until 08:00.
The alert for Waterford begins at 07:00 and will stay in place until 11:00.
Read more here.
We heard earlier that outpatient hospital appointments had been cancelled in Cornwall.
A similar move has been made in the Swansea Bay area, where all non-urgent face-to-face appointments, including district nursing, GP, dental and blood testing appointments will be cancelled on Friday.
But digital consultations will continue, Swansea Bay University Health Board says.
Patients will be contacted as soon as possible to rearrange appointments.
All Covid testing and vaccination centres will also be closed.
Sitting 28 miles south west of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly will be the in the eye of Storm Eunice on Friday morning.
Residents of the five inhabited islands have been making preparations.
All outpatient appointments have been cancelled at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on Friday "to keep people safe during the storm," says an NHS Kernow clinical commissioning group.
It says the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is asking anyone with an outpatient appointment not to travel to the hospital tomorrow.
"Someone will call them to rearrange their appointment," it adds.
The announcement comes after the Met Office declared a major incident in Cornwall ahead of Storm Eunice.
Dan Hughes has sandbags ready for his first winter storm since taking over a restaurant in Perranporth
People in two towns on the north Cornish coast are among those preparing for Storm Eunice, expected to arrive on Friday morning.
In St Ives, fisherman Roger Trevorrow said has taken the engine off his boat "in case it sinks".
He said: "As long as people take notice of what the warnings are, don't take any risks on the quay and don't get washed away. Life is more precious than [taking] a photograph."
At the Lifeboat Inn beside the harbour, landlady Becky Hall has been putting flood defence boards along the front of the pub.
"It just hopefully stops the sea coming in," she says.
About 20 miles up the coast, in Perranporth, the RNLI has been giving advice to people, and telling them to keep out of the water, and away from the cliffs.
A number of businesses near the popular beach have been putting out sandbags in readiness.
For Dan Hughes, this is the first major winter storm since he took over No.4 Breakfast and Bistro in October, and he said it is "quite worrying".
"The previous owners weren't told and got flooded in their first year, without any warning at all," he said.
"Luckily they have warned us and we have bought all the flood protection so we have just got to put it in place."
Image source, PA MediaThe Army was also deployed in December to help reconnect supplies
With Storm Eunice approaching, Northern Powergrid says it has only just reconnected electricity supplies for the 20,000 customers who lost power during Storm Dudley.
The distribution firm, which covers the north east of England says it is a case of "good news... bad news" with winds of 60 to 70 mph on Saturday coupled with snow likely to cause "further disruption to power supplies".
It also warns people not to approach damaged power lines.
Image source, @ROISSONWYECOPS/PAMEDIAStorm Dudley caused disruption and damage across much of northern England on Wednesday
Parts of the UK are still recovering from Storm Dudley on Wednesday, as its successor Storm Eunice is forecast to bring even more disruption and damage on Friday.
Thousands of people were left without power after Storm Dudley hit parts of the North East, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Previous examples of storms forming in quick succession:
Image source, PA MediaA number of councils are taking extra steps to shelter homeless people due to the severe weather forecast.
With Storm Eunice approaching, some local authorities have activated their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol to provide emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.
This usually only happens when temperatures drop below freezing - when weather conditions are considered a threat to their lives.
It means that shelters will open from Thursday evening.
The announcements have been made by the Mayor of London and a number of local authorities including:
Pencnwc holiday park, near New Quay in Ceredigion, is taking extreme measures to protect its mobile homes.
They have been chaining down caravans and making sure patio furniture and plant pots are not "flying around".
Image source, Getty ImagesWith Storm Eunice forecast to bring strong winds and heavy snow, advice has been given by fire and rescue services, breakdown services and charities on the best ways to stay safe.
The Met Office said there is a risk of "flying debris resulting in danger to life" and "damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down".
There are some simple things people can do to prepare before the storm hits.
Ross Easton, spokesperson for Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK's energy network operators, says teams and equipment are being moved to strategic locations, ready to respond if needed.
"We are contacting customers in vulnerable situations to ensure they're aware of the warnings in place and informed about what to do," he adds.
Road and rail agencies are warning people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
If travel by road is a must, motorists are urged to be careful.
"We urge drivers to remain cautious and to carry out the relevant safety checks before setting off on their journeys," says Green Flag's Mark Newberry.
And the RSPCA advises pet owners to ensure they have an adequate supply of food and medication for their pets and provide a quiet and safe space in case the storms become frightening for them.
Here's more on how to prepare.
Communities in Wales have rallied together to support their local cafes from damage from the coming storm.
It took Bay5 Coffee House on Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, seven months to recover from from the natural tide surge in October 2020.
Staff member Sophia Christou said: "The community has been amazing, thank you all.
"They have been filling sacks, dropping things in, shovelling... that's where the heart is."
Transport For Wales said it believed Friday would be the first time all trains in Wales had been cancelled.
Network Rail's Chris Pearce said: "For passengers who are looking to travel across the weekend, they should check before they travel, as we do have a big clean-up operation likely to have to take place."
Due to the level of "extreme weather" expected, rail replacement services will not be operating.
Transport for Wales is allowing passengers with tickets for Friday to travel Thursday instead, or over the weekend, if services have resumed by then.