Ferry services have been cancelled and a red weather warning has been issued for the Channel Islands as Storm Ciaran sweeps in towards the south of England.
Forecasters said gusts of 85mph could hit the islands on Wednesday, with wind speeds of up to 110mph in the English Channel.
High tides could also force the closure of coastal roads and residents have been urged to “avoid outdoor activities”.
Condor Ferries has cancelled its freight and passenger routes between the Channel Islands and the UK on Wednesday and Thursday, while DFDS has axed services between Newhaven in East Sussex and Dieppe in France.
Brittany Ferries has also warned of possible disruption to its cross-Channel routes.
It comes after the Met Office issued amber weather warnings for the South West and south coast of England for Thursday as Storm Ciaran approaches.
The agency said the wind and rain warnings would be in place from Wednesday night to Friday, with the storm due to cross southern Britain on Thursday.
Ahead of its arrival, parts of Northern Ireland have already been flooded by heavy rain and people have been warned not to travel.
Check the latest five-day forecast where you are
Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain in the region were in place earlier today.
It warned of rainfall of between 25mm and 60mm in places, with up to 100mm on higher ground.
Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are also in place between Wednesday and Friday across parts of England, Scotland and Wales.
Amber weather warnings are in place for Cornwall and Devon between 3am and 11am on Thursday, and between 6am and 5pm the same day along the coast from Hampshire to Kent, as well as parts of East Anglia.
Forecasters said strong gusts – of 70 to 80mph, perhaps exceeding 85 mph – could disrupt travel and cause damage to buildings, while flying debris could pose “a danger to life”.
Trains and planes could be delayed, while roads and bridges face potential closure.
Flooding in Northern Ireland
There was flooding in Newry in County Down on Monday after the city’s canal burst its banks, while in Dromantine around 100 sheep were rescued after becoming stranded in a flooded field.
Read more:
Why Storm Ciaran will be so bad
Newry resident Dessie Heatley described the scenes as a “repeat of what happened here around 35 years ago”.
“We were up and down here in boats,” he said. “It’s pretty bad, I’m sure all the shopkeepers are raging, we’d no warning or nothing.”
Police have advised people to avoid Newry city.
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Downpours expected in parts of England and Wales
Storm Ciaran is set to bring strong winds and heavy downpours to southern parts of England and Wales – with “unsettled” conditions forecast for much of the UK.
Rainfall of 20mm to 25mm is expected across southern and western areas, with potentially more falling over higher ground, the Met Office said.
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The forecaster warned conditions could worsen in areas already affected by flooding from Storm Babet.
Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said Storm Ciaran was “likely to be a notch down” in intensity from Storm Babet, but flooding could still occur because the ground is “so laden with water” and river levels “are at their highest”.
She told Sky News the key features would be “wind damage” and a “lot of rain”, and added that the wet weather would slowly move northwards.
Science correspondent
Buckle up for some really wild weather over the next few days.
Storm Ciaran is due to hit the UK on Wednesday night and into Thursday, bringing very high winds and a lot more rain.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Devon between 3am and 1pm on Thursday, and the Channel coast from Dorset to Kent between 6am and 8pm.
Wind speeds could be 70-80mph on the coast, possibly exceeding 85mph in exposed spots.
That’s enough to cause significant damage to property, with debris being hurled through the air. Trees will also take a battering because they are still in full-leaf. And transport will be disrupted.
The storm will also bring lots more rain – and over a much wider area.
That’s because Ciaran will grind almost to a halt over the UK, its path blocked by a curl of the jet stream.
Then, just as Ciaran finally moves off over the North Sea, we get another storm piling in, bringing yet more rain over the weekend.
All in all, some really unpleasant weather for the rest of the week.
Ms Nasir said the storm would start affecting southern areas of the UK on Wednesday evening, as well as on Thursday morning during rush hour, before it tracks northwards.
“We could see some coastal flooding because the winds will be so strong, particularly initially across more southern areas,” she said.
“It’s not a fast-moving system, so it’s going to be with us for at least two-and-a-half, if not three, days and most places will be impacted in some shape or form by this storm.”
Her colleague Marco Petagna added: “There are possible gusts of 80mph to 90mph in some exposed southern areas. It’s probably quite a nasty storm this one.”
Is Storm Ciaran affecting an area near you?
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