Storm Ciaran latest LIVE: 100mph-plus winds recorded as flights cancelled, schools shut and thousands of homes without power

Thousands of homes have been left without power and hundreds of schools have closed as Storm Ciarán wreaks havoc across southern England.

By this afternoon, 9,000 homes in Cornwall had been left without power due to the storm, while schools across Dorset, Sussex and Hampshire - where a major incident was declared for much of the day - have shut their doors.

Some children may only be able to return to the classroom on Monday, because of all the damage.

British Airways and airline KLM are among the airlines cancelling flights, with some 100 cancelled between them.

Meanwhile train operating companies such as Southern and Southeastern have warned of disruption, and urged passengers to only travel if necessary.

AA, which had a large number of callouts in southern England, said it had "rescued 84 customers stuck in flood so far today, with thousands more impacted by the weather".

The Jersey government said wind speeds had reached 102mph while Langdon Bay in Kent recorded 71mph winds earlier.

Six people across mainland Europe have died in the storm, including a five-year-old in Belgium.

Follow the latest updates below.

The end of today's coverage of Storm Ciaran

22:21 , Jordan King

That concludes The Evening Standard's coverage of Storm Ciaran for today.

This is the latest forecast from The Met Office:

Tonight:

It'll stay windy overnight with further outbreaks of rain developing in most areas, as a weakening storm Ciarán remains close by in the North Sea. Some clear spells developing across the far south and west, especially later in the night.

Friday:

The strong winds will gradually moderate on Friday. Areas of rain will slowly ease across northern and northeastern areas. Elsewhere there will be some sunshine and a scattering of showers.

Three people needed hospital in Jersey

22:18 , Jordan King

The storm left three people needing hospital treatment in Jersey, the Chief of Police said tonight.

Some houses in Southampton left without water

22:16 , Jordan King

Southern Water announced a "major incident" in Southampton, as people in postcodes SO50 and SO45 will likely have disrupted water supply.

The worst of the storm to move north on Friday

20:38 , Robert Dex

The Met Office said the storm would continue to bring "heavy rain and strong winds" to Scotland and northern England on Friday morning while being "breezy but brighter" in the south.

At least six people have died across mainland Europe

20:21 , Jordan King

Six people have died across France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands as strong winds and rain from Storm Ciaran batter Europe, closing schools, airports and halting train services.

A truck driver was killed by a falling tree northeast of Paris and a second death was reported in the French city of Le Havre.

In Madrid, a woman died when a tree dropped on her car while another woman in the Netherlands also fell victim to the storm.

Two people were killed, including a five-year-old, by a falling tree in Belgium, local news agency Belga reported.

Jersey Airport to stay closed 'until tomorrow afternoon'

18:57 , Jordan King

Jersey Airport, which was forced to shut in the midst of Storm Ciaran, will not be able to open in the morning.

Ports of Jersey said in a statement: "Ports of Jersey engineers have been assessing the damage caused by Storm Ciaran and detailed inspections of the airport estate have identified extensive infrastructure, equipment and system failures.

"It said it was working to fix the issues as quickly as possible but the airport must remain closed for now.

"We are striving to open the airport at 2pm tomorrow and a further announcement at midday will confirm whether this is possible.

"The airport remains open for emergencies and medical transfers. The harbour is functioning as normal."

Flooding risks remain across the country

18:16 , Jordan King

Floods minister Rebecca Pow said potential flooding risks remained across the country with river levels still high, large waves at the coast and saturated ground.

The Emergency Operations Centre had been activated to support the Cabinet Office in co-ordinating the Government's response, she confirmed.

Storm Ciaran in pictures:

18:01 , Jordan King

Storm Ciaran has battered the south of England and the Channel Islands with gusts of up to 100mph and heavy rain.

Here are some pictures showing the extreme weather:

Met Office issues weather forecast from 6pm tonight to 6pm tomorrow

17:19 , Jordan King

Today: Windy and bright today with lengthy periods of sunshine however there is a threat of blustery showers developing. Longer spells of rain will spread into north-eastern England and eastern Scotland which may be heavy but will turn increasingly showery. Brisk winds but strong for coastal areas

Tonight: Showers will ease and turn increasingly light and patchy during the evening. Overnight will be largely dry with clear intervals for a time however there will be some showers. Clouds will build in from the south and outbreaks of rain will spread in from the south-west and may be locally heavy

Saturday and Sunday: Heavy showers and rain in the south tomorrow but scattered and lighter showers further north. Long sunny spells across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sunday will be mainly dry with lengthy periods of sunshine however there is a threat of showers developing, mostly across western areas.

Some schools close for Friday as well

16:53 , Jordan King

Some children will only get back into classrooms on Monday because of the damage caused by Storm Ciaran.

The Government of Jersey said in a statement today: "Schools set to remain closed tomorrow to help assess damage and reopen roads. Some non-urgent health appointments have been cancelled."

Some train companies which have reported disruptions:

16:50 , Jordan King

Multiple train companies have reported cancellations, delays or revised schedules, they include:

• CrossCountry

• Gatwick Express

• Great Western Railway

• Southern

• Thameslink

• Greater Anglia

• Island Line

• LNER

• Northern

• Southeastern

• Transport for Wales

• c2c

• South Western Railway

Environment Agency likely to close floodgates tonight

16:42 , Jordan King

The Environment Agency team for the South East of England closed floodgates during the high tides brought in by Storm Ciaran last night and they will probably do the same tonight.

It aso warned people to stay clear from coastal paths and promenades.

Major incident in Hampshire downgraded

16:18 , Jordan King

Southampton County Council said the "major incident" declared in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has now ended.

M20 coastal carriageway closed

16:11 , Jordan King

The M20 carriageway between Junctions 8 and 9 is being temporarily closed "due to disruption caused by the adverse weather".

Kent Police's Chief Superintendent Simon Alland, of the force's Tactical Operations Command, said: "The closure of the M20 is an emergency measure that is only used following consultation with our partners in the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) and after a thorough assessment of issues including public safety and traffic volumes.

"The KRF will continue to monitor the situation over the next 24 hours."

Five-year-old among two deaths in Belgium caused by Storm Ciaran

15:57 , Jordan King

Two people, including a five-year-old, have died in the Belgiun city of Ghent amid Storm Ciaran, local media has reported.

At least one of the deaths was caused by a falling tree.

In total, four people have died across mainlaind Europe.

A truck driver was killed by a falling tree northeast of Paris and a woman died when a tree fell on her car in Madrid, emergency services said. Three people were injured.

Farmers are 'shouldering the burden of flooding'

15:50 , Jordan King

Farmers and rural communities are "unfairly shouldering the burden" of flooding because of "years of poor management" from the Environment Agency, The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has said.

The rural landowners' body wants the Government to do more to support farmers and landowners and said their fields are being sacrificed to save houses and villages downstream.

Regional director Tim Bamford said: "Flooding can have a massive impact on farming and the countryside, with crops damaged and rural communities often cut off.

"Years of poor management of watercourses and flood defences by the Environment Agency, often caused by lack of resources, mean farmers are still unfairly shouldering the burden of flooding devastation.

"Landowners don't receive compensation when the Environment Agency effectively floods their fields to protect downstream houses and villages, despite the harm to their crops and livelihoods.

"And when farmers do attempt to implement flood prevention techniques, they face lengthy authorisation delays and costs, creating a lose-lose situation.

"Farmers want to provide solutions to the climate crisis. But until the Government steps in to tackle planning delays and offer full and proper compensation to those storing floodwater, farmers will continue paying the price for problems they didn't create."

A spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We're conscious of the impact Storm Babet and Ciaran will have had on the farming community, and the important role to play in reducing the risk of flooding and coastal erosion as we adapt to climate change.

"Farmers are already eligible for support through the flood recovery framework announced last week, including a grant of up to £2,500 as part of the business recovery grant.

"Since 2015 we have also protected 580,000 acres of agricultural land along with thousands of businesses, communities and major infrastructure via our floods investment programmes."

Flooded holiday park in Dorset evacuated

15:35 , Jordan King

Freshwater Beach Holiday Park in Burton Bradstock, Dorset, had to be evacuated, with some people needing rescuing in dingies.

Photographs show outside furniture heavily submerged in water while some chalets have been swept partially into the sea.

Thousands more homes left without power

14:51 , Josh Salisbury

Thousands of more homes have been left without power in a range of southern areas in England.

Across Devon and Cornwall some 9,000 homes are without power, which may last until tomorrow morning.

In Surrey over 6,500 homes have been affected by outages, while in Sussex more than 1,600 homes are affected.

UK Power Networks says power supplies across the South East have been hit by the storm.

Keep receipts and check insurance policies, households advised

14:01 , Miriam Burrell

Households and businesses affected by damage caused by Storm Ciaran are being reminded to keep receipts and check the terms of their insurance policies.

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (Biba) said that temporary emergency repairs at a reasonable cost should be paid by insurers, but people should make sure they keep all of their receipts.

Many home insurance policies and business policies cover flood and water damage, but it is important to check exclusions or excesses in the policy that may affect the cover, it said.

Wind gusts reach almost 100mph

13:37 , Miriam Burrell

The Met Office takes a look at the highest wind gusts recorded across the country today.

Pictured: Waves hit Brighton

13:32 , Miriam Burrell

High winds and heavy rain hit the south coast of England

Storm Ciarán sets pressure record - Met Office

12:46 , Josh Salisbury

Storm Ciarán has set a new record for the lowest mean sea level pressure recorded in England and Wales in November - a measure often associated with a storm's intensity.

Dr Stephen Burt, from the University of Reading’s Department, added: "Depressions (low-pressure areas) form as a result of air being lifted by complex dynamical forces.

"Rising air cools and water vapour condenses, forming clouds and releasing heat energy which drives the storm, typically resulting in a fall in surface atmospheric pressure, and the familiar rainy or stormy weather.

"The most intense storms tend to be associated with very low atmospheric pressure, and this was certainly the case during the passage of Storm Ciaran across southern England this morning."

Parts of south east hit by water outages

12:36 , Josh Salisbury

Parts of south-east England have been hit with water outages due to weather conditions, a utility company has said.

South East Water told customers in a message: "Due to the continued strong winds affecting power supplies across the south east there are a number of localised areas which are receiving intermittent water supplies.

"As soon as we’re alerted to a supply issue we are responding as quickly as possible to get taps flowing again."

It added: "This remains a very changeable situation as the storm passes through."

Port of Dover reopens after storm closure

12:19 , Josh Salisbury

The Port of Dover has reopened to shipping after Storm Ciarán forced a temporary closure.

“Due to adverse weather from Storm Ciaran, all sailings are currently suspended from the Port of Dover,” the port said on Thursday morning.

Shortly before noon, they said it had reopened to shipping.

Gusts of 71mph were reported in Langdon Bay near Dover, the Met Office said earlier today.

Buses damaged in Kent after high winds

12:03 , Josh Salisbury

Two buses have been damaged by debris in strong winds in Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, causing disruption to services in the area.

A Stagecoach spokesman said: "There are no reports of any injuries to passengers travelling on the buses."

Pictures from around the UK

11:20 , Josh Salisbury

Pictures are coming in from around the UK of Storm Ciaran.

A car drives through flood water near Folkestone, Kent:

Trees are uprooted after winds reaching 100 mph tore through Jersey:

Flood water covers a field after the River Clyde overflowed in Clyst Saint Mary, near Exeter:

Met Office issues warning update

10:29 , Josh Salisbury

The Met Office has just issued an update to its amber weather warning for southern England, saying the storm is tracking slightly more south than first thought.

This means that the area affected by Storm Ciaran is slightly smaller than first predicted.

The agency said: "Update to restrict the area to East Sussex and Kent and bring forward the end time of the warning.

"Track of Ciaran expected to be slightly further south limiting impacts to the far southeast of England."

The amber warning for parts of south-east England, including Canterbury, Dover and Hastings, will now end at 12noon.

'We were woken by hailstones bigger than golf balls'

10:15 , Josh Salisbury

A civil servant has told of how she was woken at midnight by hailstones bigger than golf balls from Storm Ciaran.

Suzie Phillips, 44, who is based in Jersey, said that she was "quite lucky" not to have been affected by flooding because she lives in the north of the island and is "quite elevated", but was awoken by huge hailstones at around midnight.

"The hailstones were quite a bit heavier and bigger than a golf ball and we've had three windows damaged by them - in my daughter's bedroom, a landing and a bathroom," she told the PA news agency.

"We all went into a back bedroom that we thought was going to be sheltered last night because that happened at midnight, but we knew that the storm was going to pick up from about 2am or 3am onwards.

"It was quite worrying, especially for the kids - they were quite anxious about it."

Southern warns of 'vast disruption' to train services

09:44 , Josh Salisbury

Southern has warned of 'vast' disruption to services across London due to conditions from the storm.

The train operating company told customers in a message: "The level of disruption this storm has and is causing is vast, and we urge you to check our live map to see if your route is affected."

The map can be found here: https://livemap.southernrailway.com/#/mapview

Winds of more than 70mph in Kent

09:05 , Josh Salisbury

Jersey Airport - which is closed - has seen wind gusts of up 93mph amid Storm Ciaran, the Met Office said.

Langdon Bay in Kent has recorded 71mph winds, while the village of Cardinham in Cornwall saw 68mph gusts.

Pictured: Wet weather hits London

08:45 , Josh Salisbury

Images from across the capital show rather miserable and wet conditions.

Here are commuters attempting to shelter as they cross London Bridge:

And here is a scene from a rather wet and windy Greenwich:

Homes across Cornwall left without power

08:28 , Josh Salisbury

More than 8,500 homes across Cornwall have been left without power due to Storm Ciaran.

Cornwall Council urged affected residents to check on their vulnerable neighbours, and to call 999 in an emergency.

Tornado warning issued

08:24 , Josh Salisbury

Tornados could hit the UK as it is battered by strong winds and heavy rain, according to the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO).

"The highest risk of one or two tornadoes would likely be along and south of a line from S Wales to London, but the risk cannot be ruled out a bit further north too,” it said.

Pictures from around the UK of Storm Ciarán

08:21 , Josh Salisbury

Storm Ciarán is bringing disruption to many parts of southern England:

Londoners share pictures of wet conditions

08:15 , Josh Salisbury

Londoners have shared pictures of how the wet and windy conditions have affected their local areas on social media.

Hundreds of schools close due to bad weather

07:46 , Josh Salisbury

Hundreds of schools have said they will not open their doors today due to Storm Ciarán.

The affected schools are mainly in areas of Southampton, Dorset, Devon, the Isle of Wight and Cornwall.

In the Channel Island of Jersey, all schools are closed as a major incident has been declared.

Trampoline blown onto commuter rail tracks

07:39 , Josh Salisbury

Several train companies have urged commuters to not travel amid the storm - and Southeastern have given an example why.

The train company has shared a picture of a trampoline which was blown onto the tracks at Hastings by the storm's strong winds.

"Our friends at have just had to remove this from the track at Hastings," said the company.

"If you've a trampoline in your garden, please make sure it's secure - it's going to be very windy out there."

07:32 , Josh Salisbury

The Channel Islands are so far bearing the brunt of the storm's strong winds and heavy rains.

Three people on the island of Jersey have been rushed to hospital, say police, where officials have declared a major incident.

Police said in a statement: "So far tonight 29 adults, six children and seven pets have been relocated in hotel accommodation due to property damage.

"Four people and a cat have relocated to another address and three people have been taken to A&E. Emergency services are still out and about dealing with incidents."

BA cancels nearly 40 flights over storm disruption

07:30 , Josh Salisbury

Overnight, BA has cancelled more short-haul flights at Heathrow as Storm Ciarán wreaks havoc.

The airline has grounded 38 domestic and European flights as well as ten flights to Jersey, whose airport is closed.

Dutch airline KLM have also cancelled a number of flights, bringing the total number to around 100.