The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for wind across a strip of coast in the southwest of England, meaning it is very likely that the extreme weather will result in dangerous conditions as Storm Eunice hits.
Hartland, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea are covered by the alert.
Meteorologists fear the high winds could tear roofs from houses and bring down power lines, while some rail operators have urged customers not to travel on Friday once the storm hits.
Forecasters have warned that gusts of up to 100mph are expected in coastal areas, while the wide spread of high winds in southern inland areas has been likened those seen during the infamous Burns Day Storm in 1990, which caused scores of fatalities and cut power to half a million homes.
Lesser warnings for wind and snow have also been issued in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England, bringing the possibility of cancelled travel plans and rural communities becoming cut off.
The extreme weather comes as parts of the UK continue to reel from Storm Dudley earlier in the week, which – although likely less severe than the imminent weather front – caused widespread disruption.
Power was knocked out to nearly 20,000 properties, the Northern Powergrid said on Thursday morning, with engineers having worked through the night to restore the electricity network.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of Scottish trains remained at a standstill until close to 10am, as safety checks were carried out across the country and teams sought to restore infrastructure and clear debris such as fallen trees from the tracks.
The government’s Cobra emergency committee will meet on Thursday "to discuss the response to Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice".
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Ellis will lead the meeting.
Ministers have been urged to ensure the emergency Cobra meeting on Storm Eunice results in an emergency support plan to deal with power cuts.
Liberal Democrat communities spokesman Tim Farron said: “Whenever a storm hits, the government is disgracefully unprepared to support the thousands of people affected, they never learn from their mistakes.
“This time, as people up and down the country are barraged by stormy weather, the government must be on hand to provide support.
“The Cobra meeting must agree on an emergency support plan including providing food, emergency accommodation and electricity generators for those affected by any power cuts.”
Avanti West Coast, which operates lines to northern England and Scotland, said it will last night it will be operating an amended timetable due to the stormy conditions.
Journey times will be extended due to speed restrictions.
“We strongly recommend customers do not travel on Friday 18 & instead travel on Thursday 17 or Saturday 19 Feb with their original tickets,” the operator said.
Train and ferry services were also affected.
Storm Eunice is forecast to hit the west coast of Ireland before it reaches the UK.
A red weather warning has been issued for the southwest of Ireland as the island braces for the arrival of gale force winds.
The Met Eireann (Irish weather service) storm warning for Counties Kerry and Cork comes into effect at 3am on Friday morning and will remain in place until 8am.
“Storm Eunice will track quickly over Ireland tonight and Friday morning, bringing severe and damaging winds,” said the national forecaster.
“Southwest winds veering north-west will reach mean speeds in excess of 80km/h, with gusts in excess of 130km/h. Some coastal flooding, especially at high tide.”
A status orange storm warning has been issued for several other counties.
Counties Clare, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow, Laois, Offaly and Dublin are covered by the warning that will be in place from 3am to 11am.
A status orange snow warning has been issued for Counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon from 3am on Friday to 3pm.
“Storm Eunice will bring heavy sleet and snow, leading to blizzard-like conditions in parts, with treacherous driving conditions,” said Met Eireann.
A status yellow wind, rain and snow warning covers the rest of the country from the early hours of Friday to 3pm.
In Northern Ireland, a yellow wind and snow warning has been issued by the Met Office covering the period 3am on Friday to 6pm.
“Storm Eunice may cause disruption due to heavy snow and some strong winds on Friday,” said the UK forecaster.
The warnings were issued during a slight lull in the stormy conditions after Storm Dudley swept across the island on Wednesday.
