Authorities said strong winds of up to 80mph were expected in coastal areas, potentially damaging buildings and causing trees to fall.

The storm was expected to arrive at around 6pm in Southampton, with the "major incident" status coming into force for the region from midnight.

Schools will be closed in Southampton, the Isle of Wight and across Devon and Cornwall due to the storm on Thursday. All schools will be closed on the island of Jersey.

Follow live: Transport affected as storm approaches

Among the latest developments:
• Up to 110mph winds are predicted in the Channel
• There could be gusts of 95mph in the Channel Islands
• England has dozens of flood warnings
• Flooding has already hit parts of Northern Ireland
• Some ferry services between the UK and France are cancelled
• On Jersey, some supermarket shelves are low on fresh food

Check the weather forecast in your area

Southampton's Itchen Bridge will also be closed from 7pm on Wednesday due to the expected high winds, officials said.

It comes after ferry services were cancelled and a red weather warning was issued for the Channel Islands.

Forecasters said gusts of 98mph could hit the islands on Wednesday evening, with wind speeds of up to 110mph in the middle of the English Channel, according to shipping forecasts.

High tides could also force the closure of coastal roads, and residents have been urged to "avoid outdoor activities".

Condor Ferries has already cancelled its freight and passenger routes between the Channel Islands and the UK on Wednesday and Thursday, while DFDS has axed services between Newhaven in East Sussex and Dieppe in France.

DFDS also has delays on its Dover-Calais routes due to high winds, while Brittany Ferries has warned of possible disruption to its cross-Channel routes.

Weather warnings cover large parts of the UK

The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for the South West and south coast of England for Thursday as Storm Ciaran approaches.

The agency said the wind and rain warnings would be in place from Wednesday night, with the storm due to cross southern Britain on Thursday.

Ahead of its arrival, parts of Northern Ireland have already been flooded by heavy rain and people have been warned not to travel.

Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain in the region were in place earlier today.

It warned of rainfall of between 25mm and 60mm in places, with up to 100mm on higher ground.

Amber weather warnings are in place for Cornwall and Devon between 3am and 11am on Thursday, and between 6am and 5pm the same day along the coast from Hampshire to Kent, as well as parts of East Anglia.

Forecasters said strong gusts - of 70mph to 80mph, perhaps exceeding 85mph - could disrupt travel and cause damage to buildings, while flying debris could pose "a danger to life".

Separate yellow warnings for wind and rain are in place spanning Wales, southern and parts of eastern England until midnight on Thursday, with one warning remaining in place until 6am on Friday covering parts of northeast England and northeast Scotland.

As of 6pm on Wednesday, 30 flood warnings have also been issued, as well as 107 flood alerts across England.

Ben Lukey, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said parts of the south coast could see "significant flooding" on Thursday.

"Rain from the storm could also see significant surface water and river flooding across parts of the west, south and north east of England from later today until Friday, with minor impacts possible more widely on Saturday due to further showers," he said.

Read more:
'Sting jet' could bring winds like 1987 storm
Why Storm Ciaran will be so bad

Dangerous coasts and transport disruption

HM Coastguard has issued a warning for people to "stay away from the water's edge" and to avoid the areas most likely to be impacted by Storm Ciaran.

Trains and planes could be delayed, while roads and bridges face potential closure.

Jersey Airport, the main transport hub to the Channel Islands, is due to close all day on Thursday.

Confirming a major incident on the island on X, formerly known as Twitter, the government of Jersey wrote: "In response to the significant disruption expected from Storm Ciaran later tonight and into Thursday 2 November, Jersey's Strategic Coordination Group (SCG) is to escalate to "Major Incident" status from midnight tonight (Wednesday 1 November)."

National Rail is warning journeys could be impacted in Wales and the south of England by "heavy rain accompanied by strong winds" on Wednesday and Thursday, and across the northeast of England on Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, the RAC has warned drivers in the south and west of the UK to avoid coastal and rural roads.

The disruption follows flooding in Northern Ireland.

There was flooding in Newry in County Down overnight on Monday into Tuesday after the city's canal burst its banks, while in Dromantine around 100 sheep were rescued after becoming stranded in a flooded field.

Newry resident Dessie Heatley described the scenes as a "repeat of what happened here around 35 years ago".

"We were up and down here in boats," he said. "It's pretty bad, I'm sure all the shopkeepers are raging, we'd no warning or nothing."

'Wind damage' and 'a lot of rain' likely

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said Storm Ciaran was "likely to be a notch down" in intensity from the recent Storm Babet, but flooding could still occur because the ground is "so laden with water" and river levels "are at their highest".

She told Sky News the key features would be "wind damage" and a "lot of rain", and added that the wet weather would slowly move northwards.

"We could see some coastal flooding because the winds will be so strong, particularly initially across more southern areas," she said.

She added: "It's not a fast-moving system, so it's going to be with us for at least two-and-a-half, if not three, days and most places will be impacted in some shape or form by this storm."

Read more on Sky News:
Why Storm Babet brought so much rain
Police close beach after body found on shore
Rail ticket office closures cancelled after U-turn

Is Storm Ciaran affecting an area near you?

If you want to send photos or videos, you can email them to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you want to send us pictures and video from your mobile phone use 'Your Report' on the Sky News app.

Or send us a message on WhatsApp.

By sending us your video footage/photographs/audio you agree we can broadcast, publish and edit the material and pass it on to others for similar use in any media worldwide, without any payment being due to you. Please do not submit your contribution unless you accept this.