Britain is braced for further disruption after Storm Eleanor battered the country with gusts of up to 100mph, plunging tens of thousands of homes into darkness and causing motoring mayhem.
A fresh warning of high wings has been issued for the majority of England and Wales today and the Met Office said some delays to land, air and sea transport are likely.
There is the potential for further power outages as wind speeds of up to 75mph move in from the south west of England.
A yellow wind warning covering all of southern England, Wales and up to Yorkshire and the Humber is in place until 7pm
The River Ouse, in York, broke its banks overnight as Storm Eleanor left Britain battered and bruised
This was the scene in York city centre this morning after the River Ouse broke its banks overnight following heavy rain
A man was hospitalised after a tree fell on his van (pictured) in Rosliston village in south Derbyshire
A yellow wind warning covering all of southern England, Wales and up to Yorkshire and the Humber will be in place until 7pm this evening.
‘The strongest winds will affect southwest England and Wales during the morning, moving east to reach eastern parts of England later in the afternoon,’ the Met Office said.
‘Gusts of 50-60 mph are likely fairly widely with some gusts reaching 65-75 mph along exposed coasts and over high ground in the west.’
The blustery day comes ahead of a cold snap this weekend that is expected to bring plummeting temperatures and widespread frost.
The Met Office said it will be -10C (14F) in Scotland, gradually warming to -3C (27F) in the south of England on Saturday night.
Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples said: ‘From Friday high pressure will build close to the UK allowing a northeasterly airflow with winds coming in from the Arctic region.
‘There will be a lot of showers and with the cold air these will turn wintry over high ground, there is also a risk of snow to lower levels.
A man with a pushchair narrowly avoids a soaking as a wave crashes against the sea wall in Clevedon this morning
A woman gets caught in a wave this morning as Britain was hit by strong westerly winds after Storm Eleanor yesterday
Repair works begin to fix damage caused to the seafront at Aberystwyth after the coastline was battered by Storm Eleanor
Workers on the beachfront in Aberystwyth work to repair the damage caused by the Storm Eleanor
‘Wintry showers could be quite widespread down the east coast this weekend and also across Scotland and northern coasts.
‘It will feel much colder especially after milder air brought in of the Atlantic this week pushed temperatures up.’
Met Office forecaster Oli Claydon added: ‘It is going to feel very different by the weekend with a harsh frost and temperatures in exposed northern regions dropping to -10C (14F) or below.
‘We expect to see overnight temperatures widely of freezing or just below. On Sunday, with very chilly winds, it could feel close to freezing during the day in London.’
Britain faces an Arctic blast from tomorrow after Storm Eleanor lashed the country (pictured: waves crash over the stone jetty wall in Aberystwyth)
The clean-up operation was under way in Portreath, Cornwall, after Storm Eleanor smashed through the sea wall
Flood water overwhelmed Portreath, Cornwall after Storm Eleanor caused chaos across the UK
The UK was lashed by high winds and torrential rain as Storm Eleanor battered the country. A dog walker watched on as waves crashed against rocks in Portreath, Cornwall
Storm Eleanor wreaked havoc yesterday as winds of up to 100mph left thousands of homes and firms without power as 30ft waves battered the coast.
A body was recovered from the sea near Splash Point in Seaford, East Sussex, at 8am yesterday morning. Police are investigating whether the unidentified victim was swept into the water by the gales.
The strongest winds of 100mph were recorded at Great Dun Fell in Cumbria at 1am. Gusts of up to 89mph were recorded on the Isle of Wight and of 73mph in Northolt, north-west London.
The storm caused power cuts to around 25,000 homes in Northern Ireland and 22,000 homes in southern England.
Storm-hit homeowners have been warned against falling victim to rogue roofers trying to cash in on their misfortune.
Trading standards watchdogs have issued an alert to families whose homes were damaged in the storm to beware rogue tradesmen offering to repair their roof.
Beach huts on Hayling Island, near Portsmouth, were smashed by strong waves which left them floating in a flooded car park
The Thames Barrier was shut for the 180th time since it opened in 1984 to protect London from tidal floods
Determined not to let the storm get in the way of her fitness routine, a woman jogged through sea foam in Blackpool
A car drives along a flooded road in New Brighton, on the coast of the Wirral peninsula, in Merseyside
Eleanor caused chaos on the roads yesterday, with overturned vehicles closing the A1M, M6 and M5.
An HGV driver escaped unhurt when his truck was blown off the southbound M6 at Tebay in Cumbria, and left lying on its side down an embankment.
But another trucker was taken to hospital in Birmingham after his lorry overturned and caught fire on the M5 at junction 4 near Bromsgrove, closing the motorway in both directions.
There were huge tailbacks on the A14 in Suffolk when the Orwell Bridge, linking Ipswich and Felixstowe, was shut, while winds also closed the Dartford Crossing bridge on the M25.
The Thames Barrier was shut for the 180th time since it opened in 1984 to protect London from tidal floods.
A 30ft stretch of sea wall was breached by tides in Portreath, Cornwall, leaving the road flooded.
The strong winds blew a large chunk of masonry from the gables of a mansion block in York Street, Marylebone in London, destroying an Audi A4
A car was struck by a fallen tree on the A35 by the Cat and Fiddle between Buxton, Derbyshire, and Macclesfield, Cheshire
Several people were injured after Eleanor tore down trees.
West Mercia Police said one was hurt by a falling tree on the A46 in Ashton-under-Hill, Worcestershire, while a man was hospitalised in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, after his car was hit.
On the River Eden in Carlisle, Cumbria, a pensioner used her dog lead to stop a woman from being dragged away in icy water.
The Environment Agency had 17 flood warnings in place last night, along with 126 flood alerts.
Flooding risks could remain for coastal areas for several days, the Environment Agency has warned, as it urged people not to take ‘storm selfies’.
Flood duty manager Neil Davies said: ‘As the unsettled weather continues, large waves combined with high tides could lead to coastal flooding over the next few days, particularly in the west and south-west of England.
‘We urge people to stay safe on the coast, take extreme care on coastal paths and promenades, and don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger trying to take ‘storm selfies’.’
MAN AND HIS DOG RESCUED AFTER BEING SWEPT INTO THE SEA
This is the dramatic moment a man and his dog were rescued after being swept into the sea by a giant wave during Storm Eleanor.
The man was dragged from the water at Mullion Harbour using a life-ring after quick-thinking onlookers came to his aid.
He was swept in as the storm wreaked further havoc across Cornwall on Wednesday evening with waves up to 30ft high.
After the ordeal, the man was described as ‘exhausted, battered but safe’ by witnesses.
His dog also survived, despite being washed out into the harbour up to four times before being pulled in by an old fishing net.
A man and his dog were rescued at Mullion Harbour after being swept into the sea by a giant wave during Storm Eleanor
The man and his dog were saved after being swept into the sea when the storm wrecked havoc in Cornwall
The two rescuers were identified as Roo Jumunjy, who lives nearby, and a holidaymaker from Poole.
Chris Hunt, who witnessed the rescue, said: ‘The man was swept off the harbour wall and thank heavens that the quick thinking of these two saved him.
‘He was in shock and after what seemed like a lifetime the dog was guided to the shore with the use of an old piece of net.
‘Thank you to both of the rescuers for braving the chance of also being swept into the sea.’