Kent, Sussex and Surrey battered by Storm Ciarán
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River Cuckmere bursts its banks
Yvette Austin
Environment Correspondent, BBC South East
I’ve moved across to Alfriston, where the River Cuckmere has burst its banks.
There’s fairly serious flooding on the roads, but this happens quite frequently in Alfriston and the locals are used to driving through flood waters.
In pictures: Waves crashing in Dover
Waves have been pictured crashing in Dover as Storm Ciarán brings high winds and heavy rain across the south coast.
Damage and disruption: Storm Ciarán in pictures
By Emma Lynch
Picture editor
Storm Ciarán has hit the UK, Channel Islands and Europe, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.
Read moreSurrey flood plain already full
At Thorncroft Manor outside Leatherhead a flood plain has filled with water.
The area regularly floods in winter, but locals say it's unusual to find it filled so early in the autumn.
Unsafe building and road closure in Brighton following Storm Ciarán
A busy road in the centre of Brighton has been partially closed after fears over a potentially unsafe building.
Police were called to Boots in North Street at 10:30 GMT after reports of debris falling from the roof.
A cordon has been placed around the area from the clock tower to Poundland on North Street.
There is currently no vehicle or pedestrian access running through North Street, Queens Road or West Street.
Thousands of homes without power in Sussex and Kent
Storm Ciarán has brought large-scale power cuts to a number of areas in the south east.
UK Power Networks reported at 14:00 GMT there were almost 7,400 properties without power across the region.
In Kent the figure is 6,241, in East Sussex 528 and in West Sussex 481.
The company says power supplies across the South East have been affected by strong winds and heavy rain and apologised to those affected.
Hastings 'breathes a sigh of relief'
Charlie Rose
BBC South East Today
High tide arrived at around lunchtime on the East Sussex coast with gusts of wind reaching up to 60mph whipping up huge waves.
It was conditions just like this, combined with very heavy rain, which caused the severe flooding in Hastings town centre last weekend.
Sarah Lake's flat was destroyed by the flood.
Many people here fear the same thing could happed again today but they're breathing a sigh of relief because the town centre is completely clear.
The worst of the storm has now passed but the tail end seems pretty strong.
People are venturing out to the seafront, smartphones in hand, to take photos of the impressive waves and marvel at the power of mother nature.
Is Ciarán a weather bomb?
Matt Taylor
BBC Weather
Yes!
A weather bomb, or explosive cyclogenesis,is a term given by meteorologiststo a storm that appears to intensify rapidly, with its central air pressure dropping to at least 24 millibars (mb) in 24 hours.
Met Office surface analysis charts confirm that the central pressure of Storm Ciarán dropped from 981mb at 7am yesterday to 954mb at 1am this morning – a drop of 27mb in just 18 hours
It was this drop in pressure at the centre of the storm that made it so potent a low pressure system.
Horsham residents fear as water rises
Gorringes Brook in Horsham, West Sussex, is a cul-de-sac that’s been severely flooded this morning.
It is not into homes yet but people there say they are cut off and some cars have been flooded.
Is Storm Ciarán linked to climate change?
Mark Poynting
BBC News Climate and Science
Storm Ciarán is a fairly normal autumn storm for the UK, according to the Met Office, and working out how much climate change has to do with a particular weather event is complicated.
There has been no clear trend in maximum wind speeds of UK storms in recent years. However, winter wind speeds in the UK may increase slightly in future as the climate changes, the Met Office says.
The link between climate change and intense rainfall is stronger: a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. The UK has become wetter in recent decades, the Met Office says, and can expect even wetter winters as the world continues to warm.
As global temperatures increase, average sea levels are also rising, for example as glaciers and ice sheets melt. This means that storm surges – temporary increases to sea levels from storms – bring an even higher risk of coastal flooding.
However, other factors play a role in the risk of flooding, like how land is used and the effectiveness of flood defences.
More winter storms, including even more severe storms, are projected to cross the UK in future as the climate changes, although exactly how this will play out is still uncertain.
Your pictures of Storm Ciarán ...
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Locals fear floodwater may bring sewage
There are several areas of flooding from the River Cuckmere in Hellingly, East Sussex, including on Station Road and Mill Lane.
Fields nearby are submerged.
Gordon Taylor said his property is not affected but he is worried about raw sewage.
He said: “You can smell it and I’m worried it’ll get worse with the rain we’re getting.”
Dr Colin Tourle lives in Brook Cottage on Mill Road.
His garden has water rushing through it and the road outside is impassable.
He said they are used to living with it now although their property is flooded more regularly.
He said: “The water comes up more quickly and it’s definitely got worse over the last 30 years.”
Shoring up the sea defences
Yvette Austin
Environment Correspondent, BBC South East, in Seaford
Coastal areas are being battered by waves. It’s near high tide and the force of the sea is intimidating.
As I drove along the seafront at Seaford there were people out taking pictures, but it was good to see they were standing well back from the waves.
The Environment Agency is advising people to stay indoors.
There is an array of diggers and other heavy machinery on the seafront here.
That’s because the Environment Agency has been using it to shore up the sea defences. The action of the waves and tide moves shingle along the beach, so it has to be moved back. Shingle in front of the sea wall acts as a buffer. If it wasn’t there the sea wall could ultimately be breached.
The workers have been stood down for today, but they’ll be back again tomorrow.
'The worst is over'
Nina Ridge
BBC Weather
The worst of the weather has now cleared as the centre of Storm Ciarán moves off the Essex coast.
This morning the strongest gusts across the South East were reported at Langdon Bay - 78mph, and Shoreham Airport - 62mph.
This afternoon will be typically autumnal - blustery and wet.
There are still Met Office yellow warnings for heavy rain and strong winds which are in force until later on today.
Friday will be drier but with more heavy rain the risk of flooding returns on Saturday.
Salvation Army volunteers on standby in Hastings
Charlie Rose
Reporter, BBC South East Today
The Salvation Army is using its Hastings citadel in St Andrew's Square to offer a shelter to anyone affected by Storm Ciarán.
People are being offered food, drink, warm clothes and hot showers at the town centre site.
Last weekend volunteers were very busy when major flooding hit the town centre, forcing residents to leave their homes to seek help.
Bognor has a 'completely different feel'
Sophia Cobby
BBC Radio Sussex, Bognor
The A29 through Bognor has a completely different feel to it today.
Usually it is bustling with commuters and shoppers, but today drivers are limited to a 20mph speed limit (usually 40mph).
Parts of the A29 are so flooded that a ramp has been installed on each side for cars to pass slowly and avoid water damage to their vehicles.
This busy road usually has two lanes but is now down to only one.
Tesco superstore is closed for the third day in a row due to the car park being flooded.
According to its website the store is due to reopen on Monday.
Riverside Caravan Park has the worst flooding it says it has ever seen.
Holidaymakers and residents have been evacuated as their caravans are deemed unsafe.
How long will Ciarán last?
Matt Taylor
BBC Weather
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.
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.
Watch: Suspected tornado in Lancing
Video content
A suspected tornado was caught on camera in West Sussex at the height of Storm Ciarán.
James Watts caught the extreme weather on his work CCTV in Lancing, West Sussex, at 06:40 GMT on Thursday.
It shows 30 seconds of very strong winds and roofing being torn off the adjacent building.
Hastings prepares to clear up again
Hastings is getting ready for yet more flooding, after parts of the town were submerged on Saturday.
Kate Davidson, from Hastings and Rother Furniture Services said the company had paused its clearup after Saturday's flooding.
She said: "We are worried, hence why we're tidying up, we're not cleaning up.
"We don't want to clean this place up and then have to do it all again tomorrow."
John Bownas, from the Hastings Business Improvement District, says: "The town is charged with water underneath, and anything that comes on top of that is going to be a massive problem for us."
Flooding near Horsham causes road closure
Ellie Crisell
BBC South East Today, Horsham
There is flooding on Crawley Road, west of Horsham.
Police are in attendance with one car stuck in the water.
The road is partially closed.