The Government of Jersey's Infrastructure and Environment Department says a gust measuring 84mph (135km/h) was recorded at the island's airport just before 06:00 BST.

"We could continue to see wind speeds at this level or a little higher for the next two to three hours," it says.

The department adds its teams will start clearing roads around the island when safe to do so.

"Trees and debris continue to come down and block roads," it says.

Alderney Airport says flights will not be operating and the site will be closed until 12:00 BST.

It says it expects services to resume during the afternoon.

"Severe weather events pose particular challenges for air travel, but our priority first and foremost is the safety of both the travelling public and our own staff," airport bosses say.

"Working with our airline partners and other stakeholders, we have put arrangements in place that will keep everyone safe, minimise disruption, and ensure operations return to normal as quickly as possible."

Richard Porter
BBC Wales

About a thousand properties in south-west Wales have lost power this morning, according to National Grid.

Most are expected to have power back by 10:00 BST.

Some ferries to Ireland from Wales have been cancelled, and Transport for Wales has made some pre-planned train cancellations and replacements with buses.

Hannah Stacey
BBC Radio Cornwall, reporting from Portreath

Image source, Hannah Stacey/BBC

It’s blowing hard in Portreath but quiet. There are not many people to be seen, hardly any lights on, and the sea is a slab of white water crashing in towards the shoreline.

It’s about mid-tide and the tide's receding.

The waves are crashing over the base of Gull Rock.

Sue Horsepool-Garau, who lives in Cobo on the west coast of Guernsey, says it was "very blustery" overnight.

She says she struggled to open windows at her home due to the strength of the winds from Storm Austen.

"It was just mad last night," she tells BBC Radio Guernsey.

"You could just hear things banging around.

"Living on the west coast in the summer it's beautiful so you have to take the good with the bad.

"There's nothing but us that stops the wind coming through so it can be quite breezy."

The stormy weather will continue across the weekend, with weather warnings issued across Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of England.

Storm Boelo is due to arrive on Saturday, and a Met Office yellow weather warning is in force for wind from 18:00 BST tomorrow, through to 21:00 on Saturday.

The warning covers all of Scotland, aside from Shetland, parts of North West and North East England, as well as all of Northern Ireland.

The Met Office warns that there could be some damage to buildings, as well as disruption to transport and potential danger to life from flying debris or large waves.

Image source, Alex Bailey

Here's a round up of disruption in Cornwall.

• There are currently more than 9,000 homes and businesses without power in Cornwall, with most in the west of the county, including more than 3,000 registered vulnerable customers
• On the roads police have closed a road outside Bodriggy School in Hayle after reports of a power line being brought down and sparking.
• The A39 between Trispen and Truro is cleared and the A30 eastbound has reopened between Tolvadon Camborne and Redruth Avers
• The A394 Penryn to Helston road is blocked between Edgecombe and Trewannack
• Traffic is slow around the Treluswell Roundabout near Penryn because of fallen branches and debris on the road
• In Bodmin, the A38 between Bodmin Parkway Station and Carminow Cross Roundabout is very slow, and there are fallen trees blocking part of the B3266 near Pencarrow House
• There are also reports of a fallen tree on The Coach Road near St Ives Holiday Village.

The Government of Jersey says the following roads are blocked:

• La Grande Route de St Laurent - trampoline
• La Grande Route des Mielles - tree

• La Route de Plemont - tree

• Le Route de la Francheville - tree
• La Grande Route de St Brelade - tree
• La Route de la Cote - tree
• Le Mont Sohier - flooding

As Storm Austen lashes the UK, here's what you need to know:

• Power cuts are affecting nearly 7,000 homes in Cornwall and Devon
• Great Western Railway (GWR) says speed limits will be in place on routes between Devon and Cornwall until 13:00 BST
• Flights to and from Exeter Airport have been cancelled
• A red warning is in place for Guernsey and Jersey; Cornwall and parts of Devon are under an amber weather warning for strong winds. A yellow rain warning is in place in parts of Scotland, including the Lothian Borders
• A further yellow weather warning for wind is kicking in from 10:00 for millions across the South East and North West of England, the East Midlands and Wales
• All schools in Jersey have been told to close on Friday. Guernsey schools are also closed. A number of schools are also closed or opening late in Cornwall
• Devon County Council is urging people to postpone non-essential journeys
• In Cornwall, locals are reporting disruptions due to fallen trees and power lines

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, in Newquay

The winds are ferocious here in Newquay this morning.

Windows and doors have been rattling of the shelter I’m trying to stay in and it’s difficult to walk straight outside with heavy rain driving into your face.

Storm Austen is currently moving east along the English Channel but it’s the western flank of the storm where the most dangerous winds are hitting south-west England, the Isle of Scilly and the Channel Islands.

Gusts have been close to 80mph (130 km/h) and it’s going to stay like this through the morning.

Other parts of England and Wales will see strengthening winds through the day and while not as powerful as here in the south-west, strong enough to bring some minor impacts and travel disruption.

As Storm Austen crosses the South West, amber weather warnings are in place from the Met Office.

Here is the latest travel disruption:

• The central lane is closed on the Tamar Bridge between Devon and Cornwall, and Newquay and Exeter airports are reporting some flight cancellations.
• There is just one ferry running on the Torpoint crossing here and operator Tamar Crossing says there is about an hour's queue for the ferry from Torpoint, and 30 minutes form Devonport.
• Train company GWR is running with lower speed limits on routes in Devon and Cornwall and it is operating fewer trains than normal.
• Long distance services towards Devon and Cornwall are running between Reading and Plymouth only.

Haven says its Perran Sands and Riviere Sands sites in Cornwall will be shut during Storm Austen.

"Anyone staying on the park is being asked to leave and we’ll be delaying arrivals," a spokesperson says.

"We’re communicating directly with everyone affected about their options and will offer those due to arrive on Friday a break at another Haven park or a later arrival in Cornwall.

"We’re really sorry that people’s breaks are being disrupted but safety of our guests and team comes first."

Image source, Lewis Clarke/Geograph

Liberty Bus is asking people in Jersey to check its service disruption page before travelling this morning.

Numbers 2, 3, 12, 15 and 33 have had to change their routes so check its website, external.

It adds all double decker buses won't be out until the wind eases - which is expected to be at about 12:00 or 13:00 BST.

The government is advising you to avoid going outside during the stormy conditions as a red wind warning is in place.

Network Rail Scotland says trains will be slowed down to keep people safe in the areas expected to see the heaviest rain.

Speed restrictions will be in place on parts of the West Coast Main Line and East Coast Main Line, as well as routes across southern and eastern Scotland.

Some journeys will take longer as a result.

Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: "We know any disruption from these storms will be frustrating, particularly as it's the weekend, but we'll do everything we can to keep people moving wherever it's safe to do so."

Channel Islands Coop says it will not open any of its food and pharmacy stores in Jersey and Guernsey until 13:00 BST due to safety reasons.

It adds home deliveries and in-store services may also be affected during Storm Austen.

DFDS has cancelled all fast ferries in Jersey until the end of the weekend because of the strong winds.

Its next high-speed sailing will be a rescheduled crossing to St Malo on Monday.

The ferry company said it was considering running a service to Portsmouth on Sunday, and more freight services over the weekend, if weather conditions allow.

Stav Danaos
BBC Weather

Here are the latest wind gusts across the far South West, which have eased slightly over the past hour as the strongest winds continue to move eastwards.

The St Mawes passenger ferry in Cornwall has been cancelled.

The service between St Mawes and Falmouth said it was suspending services "due to strong winds and adverse weather conditions".

The service carries more than 162,000 passengers a year on the 2.8 mile (4.5km) route.

In Scotland, a yellow warning for rain is in place for central and eastern areas which will last until midnight.

Forecasters say some places could experience 60-80mm (2.5-3 inches) of rain, with a risk of flooding and travel disruption.

Storm Boelo will follow hard on its heels on Saturday, with another yellow weather warning issued, this time for high winds, for the whole of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles and Orkney.

The wind warning will come into force from 18:00 BST on Saturday and last until 21:00 on Sunday with gusts of 50-65mph (80-105 km/h) forecast, possibly reaching 80mph (130 km/h) in exposed locations.

Due to Storm Austen, Loganair says it has been forced to cancel several flights it operates.

A message on its website, external says 18 flights today, along with a flight which was due to fly between Southampton and Jersey on Thursday evening, are cancelled.

Routes affected on Friday include Jersey to Bristol, Manchester to Cornwall Airport Newquay, and Edinburgh to Exeter.

It adds people due to fly from Bristol, Cornwall Airport Newquay, Exeter, Jersey and Southampton during a yellow wind warning active until Friday afternoon, can change their flight at no cost.

The airline adds: "We plan to operate all other scheduled services, and we have standby aircraft and crews in place to recover any disrupted flights as soon as conditions allow."