Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

Image source, PA Media

The good news is that, in terms of the highest wind speeds, the worst is now over for most.

However, we could still see further disruption and damage from widespread gales through the English Channel this afternoon, and stronger winds will develop across other southern counties of England and Wales (compared with this morning in these areas).

Winds continue to ease across the south tonight, but it will be blustery for all tomorrow.

And will Storm Ciaran hit London?

The centre of the storm has passed directly over London over the past hour or two. Like in hurricanes, the centre of the storm is where you usually find the lightest winds.

With Ciarán, the strongest winds were to the south of the centre, and hit areas around the English Channel the worst.

Now as the storm system pulls away, we will start to see things turn more blustery in London, but nothing out of the ordinary for a November day.

Jonathan Morris
BBC News

Over to Devon now, where on Dartmoor the rain has been coming in horizontally, according to people in Princetown.

And in Salcombe a hotel's doors and windows have been smashed by waves in the biggest storm the owner has seen in the last 14 years.

The power of the sea a little while ago was clear as waves smashed into Tinside Lido, Plymouth's open air pool:

In Jersey, many buildings have been devastated by Storm Ciarán, with the Channel Island seeing winds gusting above 100mph overnight.

Windows have been smashed and roofs have been damaged by the force of the storm.

Video footage, shared with the BBC by a resident in the parish of St Clement, shows the destruction left in Ciarán's wake.

Sharon Mackie Marquer says she stepped outside her home to see that her garden wall and fence had blown down and tiles had been stripped from her roof.

For anyone looking to track the storm's impact where they live, here's some ways you can keep up on the BBC's local coverage:

• BBC Radio Cornwall and BBC Radio Devon are keeping track of the storm, or you can follow live updates as big waves and wind gusts of 80mph hit the coastal areas
• BBC Essex will be giving regular updates, while the live provides more information about the yellow warning for strong winds or heavy rain in place in Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Suffolk
• Over in Hampshire and Dorset , BBC Radio Solent is providing regular coverage the storm, or alternatively you can follow the latest updates here on a major incident being declared
• Meanwhile, BBC Radio Kent, BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey have all the latest updates on the power cuts, rail disruption, trees falling in roads and the Port of Dover suspending all sailings, as well as more live coverage on the south coast here
• BBC Radio Jersey and BBC Radio Guernsey are also providing regular coverage of the significant disruption to the Channel Islands - or you can follow along online here

It goes without saying we'll be bringing you the key updates here, so stick with us for a broader overview of the storm.

As Storm Ciarán blasts coastal areas, flooding and fast winds continue to cause widespread disruption around England.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

As we've been reporting, the Port of Dover has been closed and ferries to Calais in France have been cancelled, with gusts of 71mph reported and more rain predicted through the day.

Queues of lorries have been building up on the A20 as shipping firm DFDS cancelled all sailings between Dover and France today. P&O ferries has suspended services until further notice.

The Kent Resilience Forum, a group of organisations that prepares for emergencies, has warned residents to stay away from seafronts as "it is not worth risking your life and others for that selfie".

Several schools in Kent are closed and at least 800 homes have lost power.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Andy Lyons

With stormy conditions over southern England and the Channel Islands continuing, here's a quick recap of what's happened so far:

• There has been strong winds and heavy rain, with gusts of more than 110mph hitting northern France and the Channel Islands in the early hours of the morning
• In Jersey, dozens of people were evacuated from their homes, with fears the Channel Islands have been effectively "cut off" by Storm Ciarán
• A lorry driver has been killed after being hit by a fallen tree in France, while 1.2 million people are reported to be without electricity
• The Met Office believe the storm's path will now be further south than anticipated, but amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain remain across southern England
• Hundreds of schools have been closed, train lines have ground to a halt, and drivers have been told to avoid coastal roads. More than 9,000 homes are also without power - the majority in Devon and Cornwall
• All sailings at the Port of Dover have been suspended, with huge queues of freight lorries on the A20

Stick with us for more updates throughout the day.

Image source, Aaron Waterer

We've just heard from Aaron Waterer who's shaken up after a very near miss in his motorhome last night in Broadstairs, Kent.

A large tree branch was ripped off in strong winds and pierced through the motorhome roof - finishing just centimetres above his mattress. By a stroke of luck, Aaron, 47, was out of bed getting a drink of water at the time.

"I woke up probably around 2am. I fancied a drink of water so jumped out the bed and just as my feet hit the floor there's this crack. This branch landed straight through the roof where I was asleep.

“I got outside, phoned the landlord at the pub who I know, and luckily he was awake. He let me in, my nerves were all shot.

“I just didn’t know what to do, it was just shock. I still don’t think it has sunk in that much, it's just bizarre."

Image source, Aaron Waterer

Many children have remained at home today, as more than 300 schools have closed across southern England and the Channel Islands.

Schools in Southampton, the Isle of Wight, Devon, Cornwall, East Sussex, Dorset, Guernsey and Jersey are closed or partially closed as severe weather warnings are issued.

Albourne School in Hassocks, West Sussex, closed after it was struck by lightning, lost power and was flooded.

Springhill Catholic Primary School in Southampton said the "incoming storm has been declared a major incident and all schools are to close".

It's not just the south coast that has been badly affected by the storm in England, up in Tyneside the council says "most of the sand" has been removed from beaches near Blyth promenade.

Northumberland Council says the southern end of the promenade has been closed and temporary barriers put up over concerns of an increased risk of someone falling onto the beach.

The council says it will monitor the situation and remove the barriers as soon as possible - once the sand has returned to the beach naturally.

A yellow weather warning for heavy rain is in place across north-east England until 06:00 GMT Friday, and flood warnings have been issued along the Tyne, Wear and Northumberland coast including in Roker, Sunderland, and at the rivers Pont and Blyth.

Image source, Northumberland Council

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

At 9am the windiest conditions were at Langdon Bay, just to the east of Dover, with gusts to 78mph.

Winds in the Channel Islands are now starting to moderate, but are still gusting to 75mph in Jersey.

Dan Johnson
West of England correspondent, reporting from Jersey

We're just reaching high tide here this morning, and you get a real sense of how strong the waves are right now. Howling wind and driving rain has absolutely battered these islands overnight.

I've been outside one of the hotels that people have been evacuated to - around 40 people have had to leave their homes, because their roofs have been ripped off or windows have been smashed.

There were really heavy hailstones in the early hours of the morning, and we know there were trees down blocking roads across Jersey and Guernsey.

These islands are effectively going to be cut off today, with no commercial flights and no boat services either.

That has caused some concern that supplies may start to run out, but authorities have tried to reassure people saying medical supplies will be able to get here if needed.

They say the strongest winds have now passed - wind gusts were recorded at 102mph here at 05:00 GMT this morning - but the message is that people should still be at home until the worst of the storm has blown through.

Image source, PA Media

Police in the Port of Dover have asked people to stay away coastal areas.

Posting on X, external (formerly Twitter) they said: "For your own safety and that of first responders, avoid our beaches, piers and promenade during this time."

A long queue of freight lorries has formed on the A20, as the port announces it is suspending all sailings, external. Anyone who had been planning to travel today is being advised to check with their operator before setting out.

With dangerous storm conditions affecting many areas of the Britain, a reminder you can check your local forecast on the BBC Weather website here.

For Android users - here's where you can download the BBC Weather app, external, while iPhone users can get it here., external

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

Here are some of the strongest wind gusts at 8am. Jersey saw 102mph earlier - but these are the most recent speeds:

• 92mph - Jersey
• 77mph - Guernsey
• 72mph - Langdon Bay, Kent
• 64mph - Cardinham, Cornwall

However, close to the centre of the storm system, Wisley in Surrey, is only seeing gusts up to 8mph.

It’s perfectly normal to see that in such weather systems. In hurricanes it is termed “the eye of the storm” , and is a brief period of eerie calm when a hurricane passes over, between two bouts of ferocious winds either side of the eye.

A postman was rescued after becoming stuck in flood-water while driving in Somerset earlier.

He was found in Martock by flood warden Andrew Clegg who said one road had become "a river" with 2-3ft deep flood-water "for about a mile", he said.

Clegg has been rescuing drivers who are stuck, including the stricken postie.

“I’ve been here for hours,” the postman told BBC Radio Somerset.

In the last half hour the Met Office has updated its amber weather warning for wind in south-east England.

It says it has restricted the area to East Sussex and Kent, saying the storm is expected to be "slightly further south" than previously expected.

That warning is in place from 06:00 to 12:00 GMT today.

Meanwhile amber weather warnings for wind remain in the South West, alongside yellow weather warnings for wind across southern England. More here., external

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

Whilst focus is mainly on the impacts from the winds this morning, widespread rain is also a problem for many areas.

Some flooding is possible, and travelling conditions will be difficult in many areas.

There’s currently one Natural Resources Wales Severe Flood Warning in force, in the Tenby area. Further flood warning details can be found on the BBC Weather website

We've been having a look at some of the photos coming in as the eye of the storm tracks across the south and heads towards East Anglia.

Image source, Walking Tractor/BBC Weather Watcher

Image source, Sunny Sim/BBC Weather Watchers

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Jayne Gruchy owns a beach kiosk in Havre des Pas beach on the island of Jersey. She told the BBC the conditions overnight had been "pretty horrific" and that she's "sick" with worry as she waits to find out the fate of her kiosk.

"When the hailstones came, which was around about 12 o'clock, it sounded like they were going to break through the ceiling," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"People have gone outside, stupidly, and taken photographs of the size of the hailstones and they were as big as fifty pence pieces, if not bigger."