Storm Eunice: How the day unfolded

Storm Eunice has hit parts of the UK - causing power cuts, school closures and disruption to travel across the country.

Many buildings have been damaged including the dome of London's O2 arena, which is used for music concerts.

A gust of 122mph has been recorded on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England - it could be the highest gust of wind ever recorded in the country.

An amber weather warning is still in force for much of England and Wales

Meanwhile, a red weather warning for London and the South East of England has been lifted.

Red weather warnings are rare, they mean that people need to shelter from the weather because it could be dangerous.

An amber weather warning is still in force for Wales and many parts of England.

There are yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in Northern Ireland and Scotland with disruption expected.

The live page has now ended, keep reading for a summary of the day.

18:10: Summary

The Needles on the Isle of Wight (pictured in better weather) - a 122mph gust of wind was recorded there on Friday

• About 200,000 homes are without power across the UK, according to the government's Environment Secretary George Eustice.

• Storm Eunice has caused travel disruption with hundreds of trains and flights cancelled.

• All trains were cancelled in Wales for the first time ever.

• In London, parts of the O2 Arena's roof have been shredded.

• The London Fire Brigade declared a 'major incident' in response to the volume of 999 calls taken.

• A wind gust of 122mph on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England could be the highest gust ever recorded in the country.

• An amber warning for wind is in place across the Midlands, southern England and Wales until 9pm Friday night.

• There are yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in Northern Ireland and Scotland

• At least two people have been injured.

18:05: What have you been telling us?

17:50: More damage

The spire was blown off St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset

Earlier we mentioned that the roof of the O2 Arena in London had been left in tatters due to strong winds.

But several other buildings have been damaged during the storm.

One of the most dramatic incidents happened when a church spire toppled to the ground in Wells, Somerset.

A video shared on social media filmed the moment the spire was blown off St Thomas Church. Luckily nobody was hurt.

Meanwhile several football fixtures have been cancelled because of the weather. Including Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest, where there was damage to sections of roofing at Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium.

17:45: Days off school for bad weather a thing of the past?

Have you had to do work at home even though your school is closed because of the storm?

Hundreds of schools have been closed because of Storm Eunice, but many of you have still been doing home work thanks to remote learning.

One head teacher at a secondary school in Hampshire, Mike Serridge has been speaking to the BBC.

In a letter sent to parents, Mike made it clear that pupils could continue working online - something that has become much easier as a result of lockdowns.

Now, teachers and pupils know how to continue to learn online.

"It was seamless," he says. "In the future, 'snow days' and 'storm days' just aren't a problem with regards to continuing learning."

17:30: Storm Eunice plane watching goes viral! (don't try this at home)

Dyer shouted encouragement as planes tried to land in treicky conditions.

A live YouTube stream of planes trying to fly during Storm Eunice has gone viral!

Aeroplane fan Jerry Dyer has been streaming flights attempts to land at Heathrow Airport in London in winds of up to 70mph for his YouTube channel.

He told the BBC his stream was "the most exciting stuff you can get".

In his videos, Dyer can be heard praising pilots saying "go on son", "nicely done" and "fair play mate" as planes manage tricky conditions to land safely.

BBC Radio 1's Greg James says the channel is "giving us the best drama of the year," and former Strictly contestant and Breakfast presenter, Dan Walker, joked he is "considering leaving all current jobs and applying" to work for the YouTube channel!

17:00

• About 200,000 homes are without power across the UK, according to the Government's Environment Secretary George Eustice.

• Storm Eunice has caused 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 on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England is possibly the highest gust ever recorded in England.

• An amber warning for wind is in place across the Midlands, southern England and Wales until 9pm on Friday night.

• There are yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in Northern Ireland and Scotland

16:52: Power station tower collapse

A tower at a power station in Kent appears to have collapsed after being damaged during Storm Eunice.

Uniper UK, which owns Grain Power Station near Rochester in the south east of England, tweeted: "A weather-related incident has occurred at Grain power station, during storm Eunice."

It said there were nobody had been hurt in the incident.

"However, it has caused some damage on site and the power station has been temporarily taken offline as a precaution," the company said.

16:40: If it's safe - send in your pictures and video of the storm

As the winds die down we'd like to see and hear about the storm where you are.

Send in your videos and pictures of how the storm has affected you where you live. Check with an adult before filming anything, make sure it's safe and that the weather has calmed down.

Maybe your trampoline has blown away in the wind, maybe you'd like to film yourself giving us a news report on what the weather has been like. You could tell us how windy or rainy it was and what you've been doing to stay safe inside.

If you cannot see where to upload, click here. A parent can also help you upload your videos and pictures here.

16:36: What have you been telling us?

15:40

• Experts say storm Eunice could be one of the worst storms to hit the UK in three decades.

• A Met Office red warning for wind has come to an end in London and the South East of England. The red warning is the most serious warning for dangerous weather.

• An amber weather warning is in place for much of England and Wales until 9pm, bringing the possibility of more power cuts and falling trees.

• There is snow and ice warnings for northern parts of the UK.

• Rail services, ferry journeys and flights have all been cancelled, schools are closed and thousands of homes are without electricity.

• The roof of London's O2, has been damaged by the strong winds.

• A gust of 122mph has been recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight - it could be the highest gust ever recorded in England.

15:30 What to do in a power cut

If you have a power cut experts are advising to use a torch or candles.

In some areas of the UK people are without power.

If power cuts are likely, it's also a good idea to check if you have a torch that works and extra blankets to stay warm.

Portable chargers with full charge are also really useful if anyone needs to use their mobile phone.

Parents or guardians can also call 105 to get through to the network power operator. The service, which is free, is available to people in England, Scotland and Wales.

15:22: Tens of thousands of people were without light in Wales

Waves hit Porthcawl harbour as Storm Eunice hits at high tide

At the peak of the storm, 40,000 homes in Wales were without power.

Areas affected include Swansea and Llanelli.

People are being advised to keep away from any fallen power lines and to keep themselves safe.

Western Power say power has been restored to more than 30,000 homes. Have you been affected? Let us know in the comments.

14:56: England's highest EVER wind speed recorded?

Workers removing a tree in Havenstreet on the Isle of Wight

Gusts of wind 122mph have been recorded on the Isle of Wight!

It could be the highest EVER wind speed ever recorded in England.

It's over taken a 43 year old previous record of 118mph in Cornwall.

Elsewhere the Humber bridge that connects Yorkshire and Lincolnshire has closed for the fourth time ever in its 41-year history. It's expected to remain shut for several hours.

Bridge officials say the closure applies to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and people are advised to avoid the area.

14:07:

• Storm Eunice has hit the UK, experts say it could be one of the worst UK storms in three decades.

• A wind gust of 122mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight is thought to be the highest gust ever recorded in England.

• For the first time, the Met Office has issued a red warning for wind - the highest level - for London, the South East and parts of the east of England.

• Hundreds of schools are closed, and hundreds of trains and flights cancelled.

• People are being urged to avoid travelling.

• In London, parts of the O2 Arena's roof have been shredded.

• There are yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in Northern Ireland and Scotland with disruption expected.

13:48: What have you been telling us?

13:28: Parts of O2 Arena roof shredded by storm

Parts of the O2 Arena roof in east London has been shredded by the storm.

The venue regularly hosts concerts from the world's top pop stars and holds up to 20,000 fans.

There are no reports of injuries caused by the damage.

13:22: School closures and remote learning

Before the pandemic, school being closed for the day might have meant a day off. Not any more. Well, at least not for everyone.

Children and their teachers have had to get used to working remotely during lockdowns and school closures recently.

And, for schools forced to close due to storm Eunice, letters have been sent out to parents advising that children can find work online.

BBC education correspondent, Hazel Shearing reported that one primary school in Wokingham, a town west of London asked Year 2 pupils to "look at your class Teams page for online work".

"Have a happy half term," the letter added.

13:01: What is it like where you are?

While staying safe inside, tell us what the weather is like where you are.

You can tell us the city you live in or near to, for example London, Manchester, Cardiff or Glasgow and what the weather is like there.

If you're off school, we'd also like to know what you're doing while indoors, maybe you're looking after pets, playing games or still having to do home work and remote learning.

Let us know in the comments.

12:32

• Transport has been heavily affected by the storm, with cancellations and severe delays on many transport networks.

• Airports have urged customers to check flights, with many departures and arrivals cancelled or delayed by the winds.

• All train services in Wales have been suspended.

• Train services to and from London Waterloo have also been suspended, with reports of fallen trees blocking the tracks.

• Ferry services have also seen a lot of problems, with many services across the Irish Sea and Dover cancelled.

12:10

• A wind gust of 122mph was recorded at The Needles on the Isle of Wight this morning. If proven, it will be the highest ever recorded in England.

• BBC Weather have said that this is one of the most exposed areas in the UK so it is not really that surprising that it would face the strongest winds - but it does show how strong this storm is in the south-west of the UK right now.

12:00

• More than 25,000 homes in Cornwall and 27,000 in Devon are currently without power. Engineers working to restore power.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson held an emergency meeting about the storm, and said that the Army was "on stand-by" to support those affected.

• A government source said that they were "well-prepared" with 6,000 trained staff able to help and 250 pumps for flood water.

• A second emergency government meeting is planned for Friday morning to discuss their response to the storm.

What is a red weather warning?

Much of the UK is under red and amber weather warnings

A weather warning is issued when the Met Office think people need to be careful because the weather may be dangerous.

They can range from yellow - which is the lowest warning, to amber, up to red - which is the most serious.

The Met office have issued two red weather warnings, as well as an amber and yellow warnings for Storm Eunice.

The red warnings mean that people need to shelter from the weather because it could be dangerous and risk lives if people don't take precautions.

An amber warning for wind remains in place for the rest of Wales and most of England as far north as Manchester.

The Met Office said extremely strong winds would develop over south-west England and south Wales early on Friday morning and has warned that damage to buildings, train cancellations and power cuts are also likely.

They added that conditions would be dangerous on beaches and seafronts with flooding along the west and south west coast of the UK expected.

People have been warned to "tie down" objects in their gardens, fasten doors and windows and keep cars locked in garages if possible away from trees and walls.

Red weather warnings are very rare, and are only issued once or twice a year.

They can apply to lots of different conditions like wind, rain and snow. Damage to buildings and the environment can be expected if a red warning is in place.

Everyone in areas where the weather is bad, must listen to the emergency services and not take any unnecessary risks. If it's safe to stay at home, they should do so wherever possible.