Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, FRED TANNEAU/AFP

Coastal regions of north-west France have been battered by gale-force winds of 128mph (207km/h), as Storm Ciarán makes landfall in Brittany and Normandy.

Power provider Enedis says 1.2 million people are without electricity, after falling trees brought down power lines and pylons.

Transport Minister Clément Beaune says a lorry driver was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle in the Aisne region, much further inland.

Some of the worst damage has been reported in Finistère, in the far north-west, where gusts of 128mph were recorded at Pointe-du-Raz. The local prefect has barred all traffic from the roads apart from emergency services and other essential transport.

Further east, in the Manche area of Normandy which includes Cherbourg, local prefect Xavier Brunetière has appealed to people to stay at home and not go near the coast.

We've received this extraordinary video of the moment a window was blown in in the middle of the night, in St Clements in Jersey. It was caught on a baby monitor.

If you're just joining us, here’s a reminder of the where the most serious weather warnings - one red and two amber - are in force this morning.

There are also yellow weather warnings, external - two for rain, one for wind - covering Wales, London, and part of the east coast of England and Scotland.

Image source, Reuters

There are currently about 7,000 homes currently without power in Cornwall, a local councillor has said.

Councillor Martyn Alvey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme some major roads have been blocked by fallen trees, and there is concern for coastal communities already hit by flooding as high tide approaches.

And some advice for drivers from Stuart Irons from National Highways - he says motorists should make sure they have plenty of fuel as well as a phone charger, food, drink, a blanket and a torch, and to check routes and conditions before setting off.

Image source, @Se_Railway/Twitter

We're seeing lots of disruption to trains in England this morning.

For commuters south of London, advice has been put out by three companies - Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink - asking them to work from home if they can.

"There is a strong risk of fallen trees and debris being blown onto the tracks, with major disruption likely to the service on Thursday morning." The notice also warned commuters that the companies would be "unlikely" to provide rail replacement transport on the lines closed due to the storm.

Meanwhile, Southeastern said several lines are hit by "major disruption" and advises passengers "not to attempt to travel" on them until 09:00. More details here, external.

In the South West of England, there are no GWR trains in Cornwall because of flooding and fallen trees. The line is also closed between Exeter and Taunton, Salisbury and Southampton, Reading to Gatwick and there is a reduced service to Heathrow.

London North Eastern Railway is also asking people not to travel,, external with disruption lasting until Saturday and no train services operating from Edinburgh to Aberdeen in both directions, after mid-morning today.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

The centre of the storm will track across south-east England and East Anglia, before heading into the North Sea during the afternoon.

Wind gusts have likely peaked now across the Channel Islands and Devon and Cornwall, but could still bring damage and disruption through the morning.

Winds are likely to strengthen further across coastal areas of south-east England this morning.

Whilst winds are relatively light right now close to the centre of Ciarán, much of central and southern England will also see the winds become stronger and more gusty through the morning.

Christian May, who works for the Government of Jersey, posted this photo on X of hailstones found on his lawn after a thunderstorm last night.

He posted a ruler for scale showing that the longest one - which he describes as "croissant shaped" - measures around 3" long.

Jersey is one of the places to have declared a major incident due to Storm Ciarán. 40 people there have been evacuated to hotels after wind damaged the roofs or windows of their homes.

Meghan Owen
Reporting from St Aubin's Bay, Jersey

I’ve heard of people’s windows caving in, walls collapsing and rooftops being damaged.

A few islanders have told me this is "far worse than they imagined".

Dan Johnson
West of England correspondent, reporting from Jersey

I’ve just seen a mum and daughter arrive at an evacuation hotel in St Helier in tears, after the roof of their house came off.

Police say 40 people on Jersey have been moved so far because of damaged roofs or broken windows.

The storm has been relentless all night with fierce winds, rain and large hailstones.

The wind gusts officially reached 102mph at around 5am.

There are fears the roof of Jersey’s hospital may be damaged. Trees are down blocking roads across the Channel Islands and people are still being warned to stay at home. Flights and ferries to Jersey and Guernsey are cancelled all day and schools are closed as well.

Hundreds of schools have announced that they will close today as violent winds lash southern England and the Channel Islands.

Around 51 schools in Southampton, four on the Isle of Wight, 224 in Devon, 22 in Cornwall; nine in East Sussex, and 10 in Dorset are to close - along with all schools in Jersey.

A further 30 in Cornwall in two in Dorset will be partially closed.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

Storm Ciarán is currently centred to the south of Hampshire and Dorset, and tracking eastwards. The swirl of cloud around the centre is clearly evident on the satellite image.

Strongest gusts so far:

• 93mph - Jersey Airport
• 77mph - St Mary’s (Isles of Scilly)
• 76mph - Berry Head (Devon)
• 63mph - Shoreham (West Sussex)
• 61mph - Langdon Bay (Kent)

Parts of north-west France have been battered by even stronger winds. A gust of 115mph was reported overnight at Ouessant.

In a post on X at around 03:30, Jersey police said that it had already moved 39 people due to storm damage to their homes overnight, while three others have been taken to hospital.

"So far tonight 29 adults, 6 children and 7 pets have been relocated in hotel accommodation due to property damage. Four people and a cat have relocated to another address and 3 people have been taken to A&E."

It added that emergency services were still "out and about dealing with incidents".

Winds of more than 100mph (160km/h) have been recorded in the Channel Islands.

Police in Jersey have posted on X - formerly known as Twitter - to let users know that conditions are currently "dangerous" and to stay indoors:

Image source, PA Media

Only two weeks ago, storm Babet unleashed its force on several parts of the UK. It brought exceptional rainfall to parts of eastern Scotland while heavy, persistent and widespread rain also affected much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Thousands of homes were hit by flooding, and at least seven people were reported to have died as a result of the storm, the Met Office said in a report.

Image source, Sidmouth Town Council

Police said an unattended vehicle was washed into the sea at Sidmouth, Devon, overnight.

More than 200 schools, mostly in Devon, are set to close or open late on Thursday. Network Rail has warned of possible disruption in both Devon and Cornwall.

It's not just the UK and Channel Islands which have been hit by Storm Ciarán. French media is reporting that the storm has lashed the French western coast, causing winds of up to 178km/h(110mph) in western Brittany at about 00:30 GMT.

Several videos shared on social media showed waves crashing onto seaside roads and high winds carrying debris and tree branches into the streets of coastal French towns.

Image source, Getty Images

The practice has long been established in the US, dating back to the 1950s.

The idea was to make it easier for people to engage with weather forecasts, as naming storms and other major weather events makes them more relatable - and easier to discuss and compare over time.

The Met Office in the UK agrees, believing that it is easier to follow the progress of a storm on TV, radio, or social media if it has a name.

An amber warning of wind has been issued for South West England from 03:00 to 11:00 on Thursday, and for the East of England and the South East from 06:00 to 17:00 on Thursday.

A red wind warning, the highest level, has been issued by Jersey Met for Wednesday night into Thursday.

As Storm Ciarán hits, here's what's happening across the affected regions:

• Conditions on the Channel Islands are predicted to be the worst in more than 36 years. Main coastal roads on Jersey are closed until Thursday afternoon, and schools and the airport will shut down on Thursday. Some 200 one-tonne bags of sand have been placed at the top of slipways along the south coast, and delays to post are expected
• Guernsey and Alderney airports will close on Thursday
• People in Jersey and Guernsey have also been asked not to stockpile goods after supermarket shelves were stripped
• Storm Ciarán has been declared a major incident in Hampshire, with schools in Southampton advised to close on Thursday
• Southern Railway, Southeastern, ThamesLink, and Gatwick Express have urged commuters to work from home on Thursday, warning they will be unlikely to provide rail replacement transport
• A handful of arrivals and departing flights have been cancelled at Southampton and Exeter airports
• Six overnight crossings on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route have been cancelled by ferry company Wightlink
• Dorset Council has urged people to avoid coastal areas
• Bournemouth and Boscombe piers have been shut, while the lifting of the Twin Sails bridge in Poolehas been suspended. Some schools are closed
• In Devon, more than 170 schools will close or open late on Thursday
• A caravan park in Wales has evacuated residents following a warning that flooding could pose a risk to life
• Alerts for the Essex coast have been upgraded to amber from 06:00 to 17:00 on Thursday

• A car was washed into the sea in Sidmouth, Devon.Police said no one was in the vehicle at the time

Let’s take a look at where these weather warnings have been issued across the UK - and how serious they are.

Wind warnings

• Yellow warnings for wind have been issued for the East of England, London, South East, South West and Wales from 21:00 on Wednesday to 23:59 on Thursday.
• More specifically, there’s an amber wind warning has been issued for Cornwall and Devon from 03:00 GMT to 11:00 on Thursday, and for the East of England and the South East from 06:00 to 17:00 on Thursday.
• Meanwhile a red wind warning, the highest level there is, has been issued by Jersey Met for Wednesday night into Thursday, with storm-force gusts, heavy rainfall and coastal flooding.

Rain warnings

• Yellow rain warnings have been issued for eastern England, London, the South East, South West, North West, West Midlands and Wales from 18:00 on Wednesday
• Northern Ireland has already seen flooding, but a yellow rain warning from the Met Office has now been lifted. A similar yellow notice has been issued for southern parts of England and Wales from 18:00 on Wednesday until the end of Thursday
• A yellow warning for rain is also in place from 06:00 on Thursday to 06:00 on Friday for north-east England and Scotland, stretching up to Inverness.