A rare red weather warning has seen dangerous conditions hit as Storm Eunice batters large swathes of the UK.
It has left many wondering how longs these conditions will last and when traffic delays and cancellations could return to normal.
Wind gusts in the most exposed coastal areas have been predicted to exceed 90mph, with a record 122mph winds - the strongest ever recorded in England, confirmed at The Needles, on the Isle of Wight earlier today.
The red warning has been in place since 7am and is due to remain until noon on Friday.
There are also amber warnings which apply from 5am to 9pm and cover an even larger area.
The Met Office added that the dangerous weather phenomenon known as a sting jet - a small area of highly intense wind inside a storm - could form later on Friday.
A sting jet is a rare system that sees an incredibly powerful, highly concentrated area of wind within a high-speed storm.
The worst of the damage caused in the Great Storm of October 1987 has been attributed to the phenomena - so named because its satellite photos resemble a scorpion's tail.
They are just 30 miles in width and last up to four hours in storms that pass across Europe.
The jets form when a stream of cold air is pulled down into a warmer system at the head of a storm, creating evaporation and accelerating airspeeds.
Major incidents have been declared across come cities and counties, with people advised not to travel unless essential.
Suffolk is the latest to do this, with residents warned to charge up their phones and prepare for a blackout, as high winds threaten the power supply.
Suffolk Resilience Forum has sent out a message to all residents as severe winds of up to 80mph are expected until 3pm.
Eunice comes on the back of Storm Dudley, which claimed one life and left thousands of people without power.
BBC Wales weather presenter Behnaz Akhgar said: "We've got rain to start the day but it will clear through pretty quickly and this storm will go through pretty quickly as well.
"So we are expecting the main impact of the storm mid-morning and then by this afternoon it will ease off slightly so less of a danger to life later but still will have severe gales through the afternoon as well.
"More windy conditions to come tomorrow with outbreaks of rain over the weekend."
The forecasting service issued the warning, which covers south Wales and much of southern England, saying: "Further strong winds are expected in some southern areas of the UK, which could hamper recovery efforts from Storm Eunice.
"There is a small chance that some roads and bridges could close and road, rail, air, and ferry services could be affected causing delays and longer journey times. Infrastructure recovery works resulting from Storm Eunice could also be hampered, i.e. power cuts may be prolonged."
The Met Office forecast for Wales for the weekend reads: " A dry start with winds easing off. But a band of rain and hill snow soon sweeps across the region through the day, this also bringing gales along southern coasts. Maximum temperature 10°C.
"Winds strengthening again on Sunday with early rain turning to showers. Turning drier and less windy over the course of Monday before a band of rain pushes through on Tuesday."
