Deputy Paul Montague, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture at the States of Guernsey, says school closures on the island were undertaken on safety grounds.

"The peak of the weather is coming through between 6am and midday and we didn't want people travelling to school when there could be debris, particularly after a dry summer when there might be an increased instance of trees maybe being damaged," he tells BBC Radio Guernsey.

He adds his committee has been asked to look into how it makes decisions and what provisions can be provided to pupils when storms happen so "learning's not lost".

As well as the amber warning for wind that's currently in force across parts of Devon and Cornwall, a Met Office yellow warning for wind has been in place since 22:00 BST on Thursday evening.

The yellow warning covers wider parts of the South West, as well as the south coast of England, and south and western Wales.

From 07:00 BST, there has also been a yellow warning for rain in force across parts of southern and eastern Scotland.

Later this morning, at 10:00 BST, a further Met Office weather warning will come into force across other regions of England, stretching from the South East, up to the North West.

Image source, Met Office

David Dixon
Reporting from Porthleven in Cornwall

There are some very, very big rollers coming in at Porthleven in Cornwall.

I was awoken by howling wind about 04:30.

There were bins over the road in Penzance.

It's blowing pretty hard and there is heavy rain.

There is lots of debris and branches over the road.

Teresa says she lives on Trinity Hill in Jersey and it had been raining heavily between 03:30 and 05:00 BST.

She adds the wind has been "howling through the house" and shaking the building.

"It's quite frightening," Teresa tells BBC Radio Jersey.

She adds she has changed her plans for the day and her Labrador Rexy does not want to go outside.

"He's normally bounding about in the garden, but he's looking at me sheepishly saying 'no chance'," Teresa says.

"We're just hoping there's no lost dogs today - hopefully today all doggies will be at home."

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, reporting from Newquay

The winds are ferocious out here.

The storm has firmly arrived in the South West of England, here in Newquay we've had gusts approaching 75mph or so.

These strong winds will continue through the morning, we've already seen travel disruption. Ferries are cencelled, trains have been cancelled in the South West as well.

But it's the Isles of Scilly and the Channel Islands which will also be badly affected by Storm Austen.

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group says its vessels will not be travelling between Penzance and the islands on Friday and Saturday due to the forecasted conditions.

Along with passenger ferry Scillonian III, the firm says its Menawethan freight service is also cancelled.

It says sea heights of up to 5m (16.5ft) are expected.

The travel operator says Scillonian III passengers will be transferred to an alternative crossing, while the next scheduled sailing for the Menawethan is Monday.

Tristen Dodd, head of highways, transport and infrastructure at the Government of Jersey, said the team could not go out overnight to clear any fallen trees due to the weather conditions and darkness making it unsafe.

He said once it became lighter and the wind speeds decreased, inspection work could start.

"When wind starts to drop and its safe to do so, we'll do our tree clearing work," Dodd, pictured below, told BBC Radio Jersey.

He said when storms happen, the "whole island pulls together" with emergency services helping his team.

Dodd urged people who did need to travel this morning to take "great care". He also advised against using vehicles with two wheels, such as bicycles and motorbikes.

Guernsey Post says there will be no mail deliveries or collections on Friday due to the cancellation of the mail boat.

It adds some of its post offices and collection counters will be closed.

"We plan to resume deliveries and collections on Saturday, with deliveries also taking place on Sunday to help manage mail volumes," a spokesperson says.

Exeter Airport has announced the flight due to arrive from Jersey at 11:10 BST and another from Edinburgh at 12:50 have been cancelled with departures to those locations also cancelled.

A flight from Dalaman in Turkey did arrive safely at 01:32.

Currently National Grid is now reporting 6,980 homes in Cornwall without power this morning, mainly in the Penzance and central Cornwall area.

This includes 2,241 vulnerable households.

Councillor Thalia Marrington has advised people to have torches to hand during the storm.

In Devon there are two power cuts affecting 30 homes.

James Dundon
BBC Cornwall

Image source, Getty Images

On the A30 eastbound at Redruth, near the Avers Junction, a van is reported to be on its side.

Eastbound traffic is currently being diverted off at Avers and back onto the A30 via the slip road, so delays are expected in the area.

On the A30 at Plusha, some cones have reportedly been displaced within the roadworks. Drivers are being urged to slow down and take extra care.

Ian reports a number of trees down between Tresillian and Union Hill near Waitrose in Truro. The road remains passable, but vehicles are having to use the opposite side of the carriageway to get through.

In Hayle, Erin has shared video showing a power line down and sparking outside Bodriggy School. Police have closed the road while the incident is dealt with.

We've also seen reports on social media of a fallen tree on The Coach Road near St Ives Holiday Village.

And in the Callington area, there are reports of trees down on both Haye Lane and Haye Road.

Please only travel if necessary and take extra care on Cornwall's roads this morning.

Jonathan Vautrey
BBC Weather Presenter

Here are the highest gusts as of 06:26 BST from the Met Office:

• St Mary's Airport, Isles of Scilly - 76mph (122km/h)

• Guernsey Airport - 76mph
• Jersey Airport - 72mph (116km/h)
• Culdrose, Cornwall - 71mph (114km/h)
• Camborne - 64mph (103km/h)
• Plymouth, Mountbatten - 58mph (93km/h)

Devon County Council is asking people to review their travel plans due to Storm Austen.

Along with the high winds, the council says heavy rain could also lead to standing water and localised flooding.

Councillor Dan Thomas, cabinet member for highways, says people should take time to prepare for journeys.

"Please check the forecast for your location and consider whether you can postpone non-essential journeys during the strongest winds," he says.

"People in the amber warning area," and anyone using exposed roads or coastal routes, should take particular care."

Jersey Met says the centre of the storm is currently passing just north of Alderney.

It says there was just over 20mm (0.8 inches) of rain across that island overnight.

Jersey Met the highest gust of wind recorded so far is 82mph (132km/h) at St Catherine's Breakwater in Jersey just before 04:00 BST, but stronger gusts could be recorded later this morning.

Image source, Jersey Met

Devon County Council's highways team has posted on X to say a fallen tree was reported on the southbound A380 between Exeter and Newton Abbot, blocking a lane on Telegraph Hill.

BBC Radio Cornwall listener Hilary called in to say there were trees down in Haye Lane and Haye Road in Callington which she spotted while out dog walking this morning.

Meanwhile, Great Western Railway (GWR) says its services between Penzance and Taunton are running at reduced speeds due to Storm Austen.

A GWR spokesperson says: "Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 90 minutes.

"Disruption is expected until the end of the day."

Jonathan Vautrey
BBC Weather Presenter

Storm Austen has now arrived to the South West of the UK and will push eastwards through the English Channel during Friday.

A Met Office amber wind warning is in force across Cornwall and the far west of Devon until 10:00 BST. A yellow wind warning for all of Cornwall and Devon is in place today until 17:00. Jersey Met has issued a red wind warning for the Channel Islands.

The storm has undergone explosive cyclogenesis in the Atlantic, defined by its central pressure decreasing by at least 24 hectopascals in 24 hours.

The strongest winds are expected over the course of this morning, potentially reaching 80mph (130km/h). Combined with high tides which peaked around 03:00-05:00, there will be large waves and coastal overtopping.

Trees are still in leaf at the moment. This extra surface area means they are more susceptible to falling over in the strong winds. In tandem with spells of heavy rain, transport disruption is likely and power cuts are also possible.

Take care when travelling because journeys will be more challenging than usual. Check with travel providers before setting off in case of any delays and cancellations.

Great Western Railway has said speed limits will be in place on routes between Devon and Cornwall until 13:00 today to keep trains running safely.

It said "fewer trains" be running as a result with busier journeys expected.

Long distance services towards Devon and Cornwall will run between Reading and Plymouth only, with connections onto local services.

GWR said: "Other services in the region are likely to change as we seek to minimise the impact of the storm and some early-morning services will be cancelled to allow us to assess the impact of any damage in full daylight."

Image source, Press Association

UK storms: How are you coping with the adverse weather? Share your experiencespublished at 06:41 BST

06:41 BST

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National Grid is reporting power cuts in Saltash, PL12 and surrounding areas, along with Truro TR1 and Redruth TR15 and the Penzance area.

Overall it is reporting 12 incidents in Cornwall with 5,062 homes affected.

The States of Guernsey says the worst of Storm Austen is forecast to pass over the Channel Islands between 06:00 and 11:00 BST.

It adds while the impact is expected to be less severe than Storm Goretti in January, the peak of the storm will be during a time when people would normally be commuting.

"We would encourage islanders to take all sensible precautions," a States spokesperson says.

"Avoid unnecessary outdoor activity... Ensure you have taken measures to protect your property, securing things like outdoor furniture at your house and closing windows, and if you have a boat, checking its moorings before the storm arrives."