More than 220,000 homes are without power and commuters are facing severe travel disruption after the worst storm in years lashed the UK.
High winds - recorded at over 100mph in places - have left houses across large parts of the South and East without electricity.
Meanwhile more than 40 railway lines have been cleared of fallen trees, with many more expected throughout the morning.
Police said at least 125 trees were down across roads in Sussex by 6.30am, and Kent Police said at least 70 trees had been blown down across the county.
The storm hit the South West shortly before midnight and moved north and eastwards throughout the early hours, leaving a trail of destruction.
Trains across the country have been disrupted, with many operators not expecting to run services until at least 9am.
Transport for London said there was disruption to six Underground lines due to debris from the storm on the tracks.
The Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly lines were all partially closed while workers removed fallen trees and other obstructions, a TfL spokesman said.
The Environment Agency has 141 flood alerts in place across England and Wales, warning people to be prepared, and 17 flood warnings, with 15 in the South West.
Winds of up to 80mph have been reported, while a gust of 99mph was recorded by the Met Office at the Isle of Wight at 5am.
Major roads around the country have been closed, including both Severn crossings and the A249 Sheppey Crossing in Kent.
In central London, Whitehall was closed both ways between Parliament Square and Horse Guards Avenue due to a collapsed crane.
London Mayor Boris Johnson will chair an emergency resilience meeting involving all emergency services and relevant agencies later this morning.
"Clearly this has been a difficult night for many Londoners, and continues to be an incredibly trying morning," he said.
"Transport for London, the boroughs and the emergency services are working flat out in an effort to keep London moving and minimise disruption as far as is possible.
"I want to thank all the agencies for their professional response in incredibly testing conditions, and I'd urge Londoners to check before travelling by going to tfl.gov.uk for the latest information."
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