Rain just stopped and the sun is out but gale force winds here now more than anything.

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Plane fipped over at shannon airport

squall line developing to west of london. main band almost gone

Yes I feel the same. I love listening to the wind howling and the rain battering the windows. I also rather enjoy driving when the roads are really wet (not flooded, obviously, but with enough puddles to give it a bit of a rally experience  ). As a kid I always liked watching the water spraying up from the back seat when my dad was driving in the rain, and maybe I just haven't grown up...

There's also a bit of the same feeling of seeing a familiar landscape transformed (like when it snows) when you see the floodplains covered with water. Fortunately round here we haven't had loads of houses built on the floodplains, so they can do their job as nature intended.

Maybe I'd feel differently if the house started sustaining major damage, but so far, fingers crossed, even the fence is still intact.

Edit: the dry slot is really showing up well on the radar now. Is there more rain forecast in behind it, as the rain (although heavy) has pushed through fairly quickly in the south.

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Bloomberg News @BloombergNews
Another winter storm expected to leave a “catastrophic” blanket of ice across the South: bloom.bg/1bWbQC3

Perhaps you ought to clarify that that's "the South" as in Scarlett O'Hara.

Flooding wise it hasnt been too bad here, but the beaches have suffered with both Caswell and Langland having lost virtually all the sand. It's  by far the worst I've seen in 20 years living down here.

Here in Egham, Surrey we just had a torrential downpour of hail/sleety mix. It's left the cars and rooftops with a slushy covering. 12mm in total from today's rainfall. Not the best of news for the ever-worsening floods.

Pic from Network Rail of the railway line washed away at Stonegate (Sussex) by the recent landslip.

106mph recorded at Aberdaron...

Rain was moderate but brief in Portsmouth - just a couple of hours. Sun now popping out. Wind easing. Not many showers around down here, according to radar.

Friday's storm was initially showing substantial rain amounts across the whole of the south but from yesterday evening, there was a shift - which has continued further today as well (GFS). Looks like the very heavy rain will focus more into Wales and W Midlands, with lesser amounts across CS and SE parts.

No, you just did it for me..... Well almost

South means USA -

Scarlett O'Hara A Southern belle In the film Gone with the "Extremely strong WIND! "

Bloomin-Cheese-Berger- News Prog - Mainly USA

Jeepers!! Wonder what it like around the rest of the Gower

Swansea sand wharf will be busy

Thats rather worrying to know there's not much under the rails...

Take care out there folks. Wind gusts of 100mph are dangerous, regardless of where they hit. Stay inside and stay safe. 

But, I did have to smile hearing the radio guy explaining he was being buffeted by 80mph gusts while doing an outside broadcast. Er...no mate. If you were you would not be standing up, and you deff would not be speaking into a mic. When wind speeds are blowing upwards of 70mph it is very hard work opening and closing doors on buildings due to the pressure differences. Take it from me, I have had to live through the odd "hurricane" in my time, a few not that long ago.

I was once a fan of really windy weather, that is until one stormy night in the 1980s I had a load of tiles ripped off my roof. I'll never forget hearing that horrible noise and with great trepidation opening the loft hatch cover only to look up and see the stars through the hole in the roof.

At the moment here today it's just about tolerable with gusts barely up to 50mph, and fun watching the clouds scudding past at great speed, and the larger birds such as gulls swooping round into the wind and then angling their wings apparently to see how long they can maintain ground station. I'm guessing they must be having a great time.

People often over hype the wind speeds experienced.  Ive only ever once experienced winds 90mph +.  Ill never forget the roar it made.  Ive never heard it since.

Once your in a 90mph wind, you never forget the noise. 

After a brief lull the wind has just gusted to 61mph on my exposed PWS, worse to come later I would imagine.  Going to get the candles ready just in case - you never know.

I notice Aberdaron in N Wales has got up to 105mph  

Very stormy 

Fierce squall gone through here with hail

Looks like the main element of the storm is now kicking off with winds picing up further around the west coast of Wales.  Watch out Lancashire....youre next.

EDIT : 4pm http://modeles2.meteociel.fr/modeles_gfs/runs/2014021212/3-289UK.GIF?12-12 

Bang on target.  well done charts.