Strom Mathis battered parts of Britain overnight as winds of 110mph swept through southern England and Wales, leaving hundreds of homes without power.
The brutal storm, dubbed in French, was expected to cause “structural damage to buildings” and has left nearly 700 homes without electricity.
Last night the Met Office warned: “A deep low-pressure area is expected to move east across southern Britain on Thursday evening and Friday morning, with periods of strong southerly winds, then a lull, followed by strong westerly or north-westerly winds.
“It is likely that coastal areas will see wind gusts of 50-60mph, with a slim probability of 70mph over exposed hills and headlands with winds likely to peak after curving to the west or northwest.
“This can lead to some nuisance in some places. Along with the high winds, we will also see heavy rain clearing up as the low progresses to the east.”
A tree was upside down blocking a road in both directions in the Tuckingmill close to Warriors and Speedyhire. Traffic must turn around and find an alternate route.
Mathis was named by French meteorologists Météo-France, and the UK’s Met Office said the storm means the month of March is going out “like a lion”.
A Twitter user who lives in the Southwest wrote, “I don’t remember leaving the grill cover in the tree… #StormMathis”
He wrote the tweet accompanied by an image of his BBQ cover perched in a nearby tree.
Southern parts of Britain are seen yellow weather wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office, including London and the South East as well as the South West of England and Wales.
The warning remains in effect until noon today. Meanwhile, a separate rain weather warning applies until 6 p.m.