Rail services and flights have been axed, with rare red weather warnings issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Met Office extended its rare red weather warning at 11am to cover more of Scotland until 5pm, while Northern has issued a 'do not travel' warning for much of the north, including Greater Manchester.

Storm forecasters say "a strong event cannot be ruled out" in the UK - with an explosive cyclogenesis caused by a major drop in air pressure bringing the "risk of a few tornados".

Several weather warnings - ranging from yellow to red - have been issued across the country, with the worst conditions expected to hit Northern Ireland and Scotland