Storm Arwen has brought high winds to the UK, with one man dying in Northern Ireland and travel disruption and power cuts in Scotland and England. Here are some of the main developments:
The Met Office issued a rare red warning - its highest level of alert - after gusts of up to 90mph were forecast to hit north east Scotland and north east England.
Police warned people not to travel "under any circumstances" in areas covered by the red warning, which lasts until 02:00 on Saturday.
A man died after a tree fell on his car in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
About 25,000 homes in Scotland were left without power, with Aberdeenshire and Moray the worst-affected areas.
There was widespread disruption on the roads, and to train and ferry services.
Wind speeds of almost 80mph have been recorded in Scotland.
A Met Office amber warning for gales and a yellow alert for high winds and snow are also in place for other parts of the country.
Coastal town 'badly hit' by storm
Crystal JonesCopyright: Crystal Jones
There were high winds in Burghead harbour at about 2pmImage caption: There were high winds in Burghead harbour at about 2pm
Crystal Jones, from Burghead in Moray, says her community has been "badly hit" by the high winds.
That included damage to roofs, trees down and fences uprooted.
"Power has flickered but not gone out. Our house has sustained minor roof damage but we're staying indoors and safe," she says.
High winds and fallen trees disrupt road travel
It's not only the railways that have been affected by Storm Arwen, the high winds are also causing major disruption on the roads across the country.
The A9, the main route from central to northern of Scotland, had a 20-mile stretch of its northbound carriageway closed between Dalwhinnie and House of Bruar because of "multiple" fallen trees.
Traffic Scotland also reported a series of other issues including:
The A96 between Elgin and Forres being blocked by fallen trees
The A90 being closed after Brechin because of "multiple incidents on the carriageway".
An overturned HGV on the A90 near Bogbrae
The Tyne Bridge on the A1 in East Lothian closed in both directions as a precaution
Snow gates on the A939 at the Lecht and on the A93 at Glenshee in Aberdeenshire also closed
The Forth Bridge closed to double decker buses, motorcycles, vehicles with trailers, cyclists and pedestrians, although the Queensferry Crossing remained open
A7 between Hawick and Selkirk is shut
A86 between Drumgask and Spean Bridge is also closed
Passengers stranded as trains halt
Some passengers have been left stuck on trains in the north east of Scotland as fallen trees block the lines.
ScotRail said it was sending staff to help but warned this could take some time. It suspended services between Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Dundee.
Services in and out of Queen Street Station in Glasgow, which is the main link between Glasgow and east and northern Scotland, have also been suspended.
A tree has fallen on overhead wires at Bishopbriggs just outside the city and no trains can run in or out of Queen Street until it is removed.
In addition, an electricity cable has fallen on to the railway line at Kirkcaldy in Fife meaning services cannot pass there either.
Strongest gusts expected on some coastal stretches
Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather presenter
The strongest wind gust I’ve seen so far is from
Inverbervie, Aberdeenshire, with a gust of 78mph (125 km/h) recorded in the last hour.
Winds may strengthen a little more, I would expect the strongest wind gusts to
affect coastal areas of Aberdeenshire, Scottish Borders and Northumberland
overnight.
So far there have been quite a lot of reports of sleet in
Scotland and northern England, but so far heavier snow looks to be confined to
higher ground, especially in Highland, Southern Uplands, Cheviots and north
Pennines.
We've also seen winds picking up further along the coast of north-east England such as Boulmer in Northumberland.
The Met Office has repeated its message to only travel if necessary as the red warning remains in place across eastern coastal areas of Scotland and the north-east of England.
All of P&O Ferries' sailings between Larne and Cairnryan on Friday were cancelled, along with Stenaline's sailings between Belfast and Cairnryan.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Stenaline will review the situation at 03:00 GMT on Saturday.
Ferry sailings between Ballycastle and Rathlin Island are cancelled on Friday and are also expected to be affected on Saturday.
Power cuts have also affected a number of locations across Northern Ireland.
First flurries of snow hit museum
This was the scene at Beamish Museum in County Durham earlier where the "first flurries of snow" started according to a museum spokeswoman.
Light snow showers are forecast in the area until Saturday afternoon.
Beamish MuseumCopyright: Beamish Museum
I'm A Celeb live show abandoned because of storm
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! has been forced to abandon the live element of Friday's episode as Storm Arwen hits north Wales.
The Met Office has warned of high winds likely to cause injuries in Wales and other parts of the UK.
ITVCopyright: ITV
In a move never needed during the days of filming in Australia, ITV said it would instead air a pre-recorded show - filmed at Gwrych Castle, Conwy - in case of any weather problems.
TransPennine
Express (TPE) is warning passengers there could be delays and disruption due to heavy winds brought by Storm Arwen.
The
East Coast Mainline north of Berwick will be closed until midnight on
Friday. With road conditions also expected to be difficult, people are
advised not to travel on this route.
A spokesman said TPE
services south of Newcastle and across the remainder of the train operators’
network would run as scheduled, although there was the potential for delays and
disruption on all routes due to high winds.
On Saturday morning, TPE’s
Darlington to Manchester Airport services will start and terminate at York.
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express, said: “We are expecting extremely difficult travel conditions this evening and into the early hours of tomorrow, but will do all we can to keep our customers on the move where travel is possible.
“However, customers should be aware that disruption may be widespread and, with Network Rail having imposed speed restrictions across much of the rail network, delays and cancellations are likely on all routes.”
Tickets for services on Friday and Saturday will be valid on trains up to and including Monday.
Cold weather alert issued alongside Storm Arwen
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a cold weather alert and is urging people to check up on vulnerable friends and neighbours.
Agostinho Sousa, a consultant in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: "Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with heart and lung problems, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
"It’s really important to keep checking on older neighbours or relatives, especially those living alone or those who have serious illness.
"Make a call, or a socially-distanced doorstep visit if they live close by, to remind them to heat their home to at least 18C - 64.4F - and to keep up to date with the forecast. It’s also helpful to check they have enough food and drinks and any medicines they need."
Man dies after tree falls on car in Northern Ireland
BBCCopyright: BBC
A man has died after a tree fell on his car as Storm Arwen hit Northern Ireland.
The tree fell in Dublin Road, Antrim, earlier on Friday.
Elsewhere in Northern Ireland ferries have been cancelled and a number of roads have been blocked.
A weather warning is in place until 18:00 on Saturday.
ScotRail has announced that some of its services are being cancelled due to the "worsening conditions".
Trains have been withdrawn between Aberdeen and Inverness and between Perth and Aberdeen.
ScotRail has also withdrawn services on the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick.
Trains between Edinburgh and Aberdeen trains will only run between Edinburgh and Dundee, while Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen services will run between Glasgow and Perth.
A Glasgow-bound train had to return to Inverness because of a
tree on the line. Passengers said the train, which left Inverness at about 17:30,
was near Aviemore when they were told the service would have to return north.
BBC Weather Watchers' photos of rough seas
The BBC's Weather Watchers have been sending in their images of the stormy conditions.
The scene at Bettyhill in Sutherland in a photo by BBC Weather Watcher gmacImage caption: The scene at Bettyhill in Sutherland in a photo by BBC Weather Watcher gmac
High tides are expected at 21:00 today and 09:15 tomorrow, but a spokesman said "strong waves are expected throughout the night and into tomorrow morning".
Areas most at risk are beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads. Flooding of properties is not forecast at this point.
'Giant baubles are coming off the Christmas tree'
"The winds are incredibly strong, with heavy driving rain in Aberdeen city centre", says BBC Scotland reporter David Shanks.
"I have taken shelter in the car next to the Christmas Village which has been shut down today - we have giant baubles coming off the Christmas tree, clinking their way down the street.
"There were a few gritty shoppers still out and about."
He added: "In Fraserburgh there are reports of roofs being blown off garages."
Live Reporting
Edited by Graeme Esson
All times stated are UK
-
The Met Office issued a rare red warning - its highest level of alert - after gusts of up to 90mph were forecast to hit north east Scotland and north east England.
-
Police warned people not to travel "under any circumstances" in areas covered by the red warning, which lasts until 02:00 on Saturday.
-
A man died after a tree fell on his car in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
-
About 25,000 homes in Scotland were left without power, with Aberdeenshire and Moray the worst-affected areas.
-
There was widespread disruption on the roads, and to train and ferry services.
-
Wind speeds of almost 80mph have been recorded in Scotland.
-
A Met Office amber warning for gales and a yellow alert for high winds and snow are also in place for other parts of the country.
Crystal JonesCopyright: Crystal Jones There were high winds in Burghead harbour at about 2pmImage caption: There were high winds in Burghead harbour at about 2pm -
The A96 between Elgin and Forres being blocked by fallen trees
-
The A90 being closed after Brechin because of "multiple incidents on the carriageway".
-
An overturned HGV on the A90 near Bogbrae
-
The Tyne Bridge on the A1 in East Lothian closed in both directions as a precaution
-
Snow gates on the A939 at the Lecht and on the A93 at Glenshee in Aberdeenshire also closed
-
The Forth Bridge closed to double decker buses, motorcycles, vehicles with trailers, cyclists and pedestrians, although the Queensferry Crossing remained open
-
A7 between Hawick and Selkirk is shut
-
A86 between Drumgask and Spean Bridge is also closed
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PAMEDIACopyright: PAMEDIA 
BBCCopyright: BBC 
Beamish MuseumCopyright: Beamish Museum 
ITVCopyright: ITV 
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
BBCCopyright: BBC View more on twitterView more on twitter 
OrkneyAnne/BBC Weather WatchersCopyright: OrkneyAnne/BBC Weather Watchers OrkneyAnne's image from Kirkwall in OrkneyImage caption: OrkneyAnne's image from Kirkwall in Orkney 
olly79/BBC Weather WatchersCopyright: olly79/BBC Weather Watchers A stormy Portmahomack in Easter Ross in a picture by olly79Image caption: A stormy Portmahomack in Easter Ross in a picture by olly79 
gmac/BBC Weather WatchersCopyright: gmac/BBC Weather Watchers The scene at Bettyhill in Sutherland in a photo by BBC Weather Watcher gmacImage caption: The scene at Bettyhill in Sutherland in a photo by BBC Weather Watcher gmac 
Jeff_Davey7/BBC Weather WatchersCopyright: Jeff_Davey7/BBC Weather Watchers Wild at Sandend in AberdeenshireImage caption: Wild at Sandend in Aberdeenshire View more on twitterView more on twitter Video caption: Red wind warning for Storm ArwenRed wind warning for Storm Arwen
Latest PostStorm Arwen hits the UK: Key points
Storm Arwen has brought high winds to the UK, with one man dying in Northern Ireland and travel disruption and power cuts in Scotland and England. Here are some of the main developments:
Coastal town 'badly hit' by storm
Crystal Jones, from Burghead in Moray, says her community has been "badly hit" by the high winds.
That included damage to roofs, trees down and fences uprooted.
"Power has flickered but not gone out. Our house has sustained minor roof damage but we're staying indoors and safe," she says.
High winds and fallen trees disrupt road travel
It's not only the railways that have been affected by Storm Arwen, the high winds are also causing major disruption on the roads across the country.
The A9, the main route from central to northern of Scotland, had a 20-mile stretch of its northbound carriageway closed between Dalwhinnie and House of Bruar because of "multiple" fallen trees.
Traffic Scotland also reported a series of other issues including:
Passengers stranded as trains halt
Some passengers have been left stuck on trains in the north east of Scotland as fallen trees block the lines.
ScotRail said it was sending staff to help but warned this could take some time. It suspended services between Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Dundee.
Services in and out of Queen Street Station in Glasgow, which is the main link between Glasgow and east and northern Scotland, have also been suspended.
A tree has fallen on overhead wires at Bishopbriggs just outside the city and no trains can run in or out of Queen Street until it is removed.
In addition, an electricity cable has fallen on to the railway line at Kirkcaldy in Fife meaning services cannot pass there either.
Strongest gusts expected on some coastal stretches
Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather presenter
The strongest wind gust I’ve seen so far is from Inverbervie, Aberdeenshire, with a gust of 78mph (125 km/h) recorded in the last hour.
Winds may strengthen a little more, I would expect the strongest wind gusts to affect coastal areas of Aberdeenshire, Scottish Borders and Northumberland overnight.
So far there have been quite a lot of reports of sleet in Scotland and northern England, but so far heavier snow looks to be confined to higher ground, especially in Highland, Southern Uplands, Cheviots and north Pennines.
We've also seen winds picking up further along the coast of north-east England such as Boulmer in Northumberland.
Met Office repeats warning over travel
The Met Office has repeated its message to only travel if necessary as the red warning remains in place across eastern coastal areas of Scotland and the north-east of England.
Landslip on railway line in Moray
The railway line between Keith and Elgin in the north of Scotland has been blocked by a landslip.
Network Rail said its engineers are on the scene assessing the damage.
ScotRail services had already been withdrawn on the line between Aberdeen and Inverness because of Storm Arwen.
About 25,000 homes without power in Scotland
About 25,000 homes in Scotland are currently without power.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said the worst affected areas are in Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Elsewhere in the UK Northern Power Grid is reporting a number of power outages in the north-east of England.
Ferry services cancelled as storm hits Northern Ireland
Forecasters have said they expect gusts of winds of up to 60mph (100km/h) to hit exposed areas of Northern Ireland, where a man died earlier when a car was hit by a tree.
All of P&O Ferries' sailings between Larne and Cairnryan on Friday were cancelled, along with Stenaline's sailings between Belfast and Cairnryan.
Stenaline will review the situation at 03:00 GMT on Saturday.
Ferry sailings between Ballycastle and Rathlin Island are cancelled on Friday and are also expected to be affected on Saturday.
Power cuts have also affected a number of locations across Northern Ireland.
First flurries of snow hit museum
This was the scene at Beamish Museum in County Durham earlier where the "first flurries of snow" started according to a museum spokeswoman.
Light snow showers are forecast in the area until Saturday afternoon.
I'm A Celeb live show abandoned because of storm
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! has been forced to abandon the live element of Friday's episode as Storm Arwen hits north Wales.
The Met Office has warned of high winds likely to cause injuries in Wales and other parts of the UK.
In a move never needed during the days of filming in Australia, ITV said it would instead air a pre-recorded show - filmed at Gwrych Castle, Conwy - in case of any weather problems.
You can read more about the story here.
TransPennine Express warns of delays
TransPennine Express (TPE) is warning passengers there could be delays and disruption due to heavy winds brought by Storm Arwen.
The East Coast Mainline north of Berwick will be closed until midnight on Friday. With road conditions also expected to be difficult, people are advised not to travel on this route.
A spokesman said TPE services south of Newcastle and across the remainder of the train operators’ network would run as scheduled, although there was the potential for delays and disruption on all routes due to high winds.
On Saturday morning, TPE’s Darlington to Manchester Airport services will start and terminate at York.
Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express, said: “We are expecting extremely difficult travel conditions this evening and into the early hours of tomorrow, but will do all we can to keep our customers on the move where travel is possible.
“However, customers should be aware that disruption may be widespread and, with Network Rail having imposed speed restrictions across much of the rail network, delays and cancellations are likely on all routes.”
Tickets for services on Friday and Saturday will be valid on trains up to and including Monday.
Cold weather alert issued alongside Storm Arwen
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a cold weather alert and is urging people to check up on vulnerable friends and neighbours.
Agostinho Sousa, a consultant in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: "Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with heart and lung problems, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
"It’s really important to keep checking on older neighbours or relatives, especially those living alone or those who have serious illness.
"Make a call, or a socially-distanced doorstep visit if they live close by, to remind them to heat their home to at least 18C - 64.4F - and to keep up to date with the forecast. It’s also helpful to check they have enough food and drinks and any medicines they need."
Man dies after tree falls on car in Northern Ireland
A man has died after a tree fell on his car as Storm Arwen hit Northern Ireland.
The tree fell in Dublin Road, Antrim, earlier on Friday.
Elsewhere in Northern Ireland ferries have been cancelled and a number of roads have been blocked.
A weather warning is in place until 18:00 on Saturday.
You can read more about this here.
Storm Arwen brings 'very large waves'
Storm Arwen is bringing some "very large waves", the Met Office has warned.
Train services halted by Storm Arwen
ScotRail has announced that some of its services are being cancelled due to the "worsening conditions".
Trains have been withdrawn between Aberdeen and Inverness and between Perth and Aberdeen.
ScotRail has also withdrawn services on the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick.
Trains between Edinburgh and Aberdeen trains will only run between Edinburgh and Dundee, while Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen services will run between Glasgow and Perth.
A Glasgow-bound train had to return to Inverness because of a tree on the line. Passengers said the train, which left Inverness at about 17:30, was near Aviemore when they were told the service would have to return north.
BBC Weather Watchers' photos of rough seas
The BBC's Weather Watchers have been sending in their images of the stormy conditions.
Flood alerts on North East coast
Three flood alerts have been issued along England's North East coast as large and powerful waves are expected to "overtop sea defences".
The Environment Agency said flooding was possible between Hartlepool and Cowbar and along the coasts of Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.
High tides are expected at 21:00 today and 09:15 tomorrow, but a spokesman said "strong waves are expected throughout the night and into tomorrow morning".
Areas most at risk are beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads. Flooding of properties is not forecast at this point.
'Giant baubles are coming off the Christmas tree'
"The winds are incredibly strong, with heavy driving rain in Aberdeen city centre", says BBC Scotland reporter David Shanks.
"I have taken shelter in the car next to the Christmas Village which has been shut down today - we have giant baubles coming off the Christmas tree, clinking their way down the street.
"There were a few gritty shoppers still out and about."
He added: "In Fraserburgh there are reports of roofs being blown off garages."
'It's rare for the Met Office to issue a red warning'
A red wind warning is in place for parts of Scotland and the north-east of England as Storm Arwen sweeps into the country.
The Met Office's maximum alert - which is issued only rarely - runs until 02:00 GMT on Saturday.
Darren Bett has the latest weather forecast.
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