Storm Erik’s gale-force presence has prompted weather warnings, with planes at London’s Heathrow airport battling to land amid blustery conditions.
The Met Office said Erik would bring strong winds to parts of the country on Friday and will be followed by rain and more unsettled weather.
Fierce gales were already causing disruption, with airports across the UK reporting delays to some arrivals and departures.
And a terrifying video, above, showed the moment a British Airways jet aborted its landing at Heathrow with just seconds to spare as winds became too severe.
A BA spokesperson said: “Our highly skilled pilots regularly train to conduct the standard manoeuvre known as a ‘go around’. The aircraft circled the airport and landed safely.”
Meanwhile, Dorset Police said officers were called on Friday morning after a tree fell on to a double-decker bus.
Dramatic photos from the scene in Poole showed a trunk lying across the top deck of the bus, having completely crushed the front windscreen.
There are also a number of bridge closures in place as a result of the bad weather.
The Severn Bridge partially closed as a result of high winds. The bridge connecting England and Wales is closed to all vehicles heading eastbound and closed westbound to all high-sided and vulnerable vehicles.
The Tamar Bridge between Devon and Cornwall is also closed to high-sided and vulnerable vehicles in both directions.
Forecasters issued two weather warnings for Friday for strong winds across Northern Ireland and western Scotland until the evening, and for heavy rain in Scotland until Saturday afternoon.
Saturday will see a mix of sunny spells and blustery showers, with the most persistent rain in the north of the country and the possible risk of hail and thunder in the west.
There will be frost and the chance of some snow in the north of the country towards the end of the weekend, when falling rain meets cold air.
Forecasting Sunday’s weather, Met Office meteorologist Nicola Maxey said: “There is the chance of patchy rain and this could be heavy in places.
“Because of the cold air, this could fall as snow on higher ground in Scotland and England on Sunday.
“We’re expecting a widespread frost on Sunday night and into Monday, and the unsettled weather will continue into the start of next week.”
Storm Erik was named by Irish forecaster Met Eireann on Thursday.