Threat-to-life warnings are in place after the powerful weather system – born of two high-speed Atlantic cyclones – grounded flights and left coastal roads swamped by huge sea swells.
Engineers were working desperately last night to restore power as entire towns in Ireland and South West England were left shrouded in darkness by downed electricity lines.
And a dramatic rescue effort was mounted for workers on a North Sea oil rig left stranded without power, it emerged today.
They were rescued yesterday from Shell’s Brent Charlie platform – 115 miles northeast of Shetland – as it was lashed by torrential rain and high winds.
Coastguard chiefs and Shell decided to declare an emergency and 135 non-essential members of the 184-strong workforce were evacuated to two neighbouring platforms.
Power was restored last night, and 48 employees remain on board the platform to repair the fault.
Duty controller for the Coastguard service Angus MacIver said: “The safety of the crew has to be the main priority and due to the lack of power with severe incoming weather the decision was made to evacuate the platform.
“The evacuation took about two hours, with our helicopter completing four trips to the platform along with the Norwegian rescue helicopter.
“Thankfully all crew remain safe and well.”
Among the worst hit areas this morning were Kilkenny, Kildare and Cork in Ireland and Truro, Cornwall.
Airports including Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh cancelled dozens flights due to high winds — with travel firms warning customers to check their provider today.
Travel chaos is expected throughout Thursday as flooding and debris affects main roads — with the Met Office warning of "nasty driving conditions".
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Up to 35mm (1.4in) of rain could fall in parts of Scotland in six hours, while a vast swathe of the UK could be hit by "widespread strong winds".
Commuters this morning had to endure horror journeys as disruption was reported on major rail routes like Northern, Scotrail, Southern, Southeastern, Thameslink and CrossCountry lines among others.
A Yellow wind warning is in place for Wales and all parts of England barring the South East.
The Met Office said: "Inland gusts of 50 mph are likely with gusts of around 65 mph in exposed locations around Wales and western England.
"There remains a very small chance that this system will intensify as it moves northeastwards bringing even stronger winds to southwest England, Wales and on into northern England and southeast Scotland.
"If this occurs, gusts of 70-80 mph could be seen, mainly in exposed locations."
Rain is the biggest threat in Scotland, where the heaviest downpours will mainly sweep through central and southern parts.
Forecasters said: "Rain will become persistent and heavy again on Thursday morning and into the early afternoon, before clearing.
"Accumulations of 15-25mm are likely to fall in around 6 hours, with up to 35mm on higher ground."
In Cornwall, the 335m-long Tamar Bridge – one of the main arteries linking the county with Devon and the rest of the UK – was closed to all "wind vulnerable" traffic.
And around 2,800 homes were blacked out in the county as Western Power Distribution reported "widespread problems right across Cornwall".
Vans, lorries, motorbikes and cars towing caravans were being stopped from crossing, causing chaotic traffic jams.
The Met Office warned of winds of up to 80pmh, flying debris, falling trees, large waves and debris being thrown onto seafronts and coastal roads.
Meanwhile 16 flood alerts and three more serious flood warnings have been issued for England.
The most likely places to be hit by floods were Lyme Regis Harbour northeast of Brixham, the River Yarty from Yarcombe to Axminster and West Bay Harbour just out of Dorchester.
The majority of alerts were in the South West.
And the Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 10 serious flood alerts — as well as 23 warnings.
Yesterday 70mph winds cut off electricity to 800 homes in Truro, Cornwall and led to scores of flights from Dublin and Cork airports to be cancelled.
Storm Diana, named by the IMPA Portuguese weather service, is the fourth major storm system to hit the UK this autumn.
A huge area of low pressure from her two combined Atlantic vortexes is dragging a huge mound of water into Britain's coast — and will threaten our sea defences.
Richard Miles, a spokesman for the Met Office, told The Sun Online earlier this week: "We can expect gusts of 60mph and in the most exposed westerly places along the western coast from Cornwall to the Shetland Islands could see gusts of up to 80mph.
"The rain warning applies to Scotland and the eastern central Scotland, where up to 50mm is expected to fall in localised areas."
He added: "The rain warning is not as widely distributed as the wind warning. The wind is the major thing to look out for.
"Across the UK will get heavy and persistent rain but not as much as Scotland.
"We can expect 20mm to 40mm to fall elsewhere across the country.
"People will need to be careful on coastal roads, which will be affected by spray and large waves.
"People will need to exercise care around those areas."
Winds will die down on Friday night before a barrage of Atlantic weather systems brings further torrential rain through the weekend, experts warn.
A new cyclonic low, which will span 2,000 miles from the north of France to southern Greenland could be strong enough to warrant another named storm – Deirdre – before the weekend.
WeatherAction’s Piers Corbyn said: "There is certainly a chance of seeing 100mph gusts associated with Storm Diana and with a powerful jet stream in place across the country there is going to be a risk of further powerful systems bringing volatile weather to the UK over the coming days.”
And AccuWeather meteorologist Eric Leister said: “The Thursday morning commute could feature significant delays across Wales, the Midlands and southern England.
“Daily rain and gusty winds are forecast for this weekend across the British Isles; however, the risk for damaging winds and flash flooding will subside.”
Meanwhile, bookies have slashed the odds on a White Christmas blowing in.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes slashed odds to just 10/11 on any part of the UK seeing snow on December 25.
A spokesman said: "Punters dreaming of a White Christmas look as though they're going to get their wish."
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