Parts of the UK are being battered by heavy rain and gale-force winds with Met Office forecasters warning flooding, snow and ice will continue tonight.

A severe weather warning for rain is in place until 8pm for parts of the North which has also been experiencing wind gusts of up to 70mph today.

Meanwhile sleet and snow is forecast for Scotland with temperatures barely reaching 10C at their absolute highest.

Trees have been felled by the gusts, today and over the weekend, as Storm Atiyah hit the UK and caused power faults in the South West and Wales.

Turbulent air from the Storm caused "mountainous seas" off the coast of Ireland on Sunday, according to the Irish Met Office, and 70mph winds have swept the UK since.

And two lorries were blown over by the wind as bad weather swept across Scotland on Tuesday morning.

Five flood warnings for some coastal areas in the South West and North East of England have also been issued by the Environment Agency.

Two HGV lorries toppled over on the busy A1 this morning (
Image:
JON SAVAGE PHOTOGRAPHY)

Today Storm Brendan was feared to arrive on the shores of the UK. While there have been strong winds which have caused delays on the roads, in the air and at sea.

The Met Office has said there will not be enough of an impact from Tuesday's winds to warrant a storm name.

Wind speeds are expected to reach 70mph across coastal and high-ground areas north of Wales.

The Met Office warned of spray and surface water making journeys longer and delays for high-sided vehicles.

They also warn of "some short-term loss of power and other services is possible."

Torrential rain and high winds overnight caused flooding in Glasgow this morning (
Image:
Alamy Live News.)

A severe weather warning until 8pm tonight covers an area from Lees to Carlisle in the North West, with the possibility of flooding affecting homes and businesses, spray and flooding making journey times longer by car, bus and train and some interruption to power supplies and other services.

A weather warning for ice covers the Highlands of Scotland from 10pm tonight to 10am tomorrow. A severe weather warning for wind ended at 5pm today.

The Met Office warns of icy patches and wintry showers sparking carnage on the roads.

Injuries and accidents are more likely as icy patches form on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

A surfer braved the chill to battle the winter waves off the North East coast at Tynemouth today (
Image:
PA)

Craig Snell, a Met Office Meteorologist, said: "We have yellow warnings for rain and strong winds across the northern half of the UK, with strong showers affecting western areas.

"There's likely to be sleet and snow across the mountains in Scotland and a chance of ice on the roads.

"Elsewhere, it's a cold night, but we're not expecting any problems with cold or ice."

Mr Snell said the rain is due to ease by midday on Wednesday, when it will be dry and bright across much of the UK.

He said: "Despite the sunshine, it will be feeling fairly chilly out there."

The north of the UK has been drowned in rain (
Image:
MetOffice)

South-easterly areas will see the highest temperatures of up to 9C (48.2F) on Wednesday while temperatures of between 4C (39.2F) to 7C (44.6F) are expected for the rest of the country.

The incident with the lorries in Scotland fortunately caused no injuries.

The HGVs were travelling along the A1 when the incident happened between Innerwick and Skateraw in East Lothian at around 7.45am, leaving the road blocked in both directions.

Elsewhere, the A83 at Ardgarten in Argyll and Bute was partially blocked because of a fallen tree and was closed for nearly two hours.

There were three severe weather warnings in place (
Image:
MetOffice)

The Tay Road Bridge was only open to cars and the central walkway was closed because of the high winds and heavy rain, which also hit rail services.

Waves coming over the sea wall at Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, affected railway power lines, causing trains between Kilwinning and Largs and Ardrossan to be cancelled.

Flooding closed the line between Craigendoran and Helensburgh.

Dundee City Council's headquarters were also closed due to a power failure.

Waves crash against the pier wall at Seaham Lighthouse on the County Durham coast on Monday (
Image:
PA)

The weather caused Edinburgh's Christmas market and rides to remain closed.

Western Power Distribution experienced 26 high-voltage faults in the south-west on Sunday and two in Wales.​

​Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill explained: "The strong winds are pretty widespread. ​

​"It's very windy in the west and south-west so that's where we're going to see the greatest impact unfortunately."​

By General Election day on Thursday, parts of the UK could be drenched by up to an inch of rain in the 24-hour period. ​

​Areas along the west coast of England and Scotland will face heavy showers and blustery wind.​

The rain will continue to batter the UK tonight (
Image:
MetOffice)

​The day will also start off freezing, with temperatures ranging between -3C (27F), in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, and 0C (32F), in the south of England, as polling stations open.​

The prospect of the first winter election since 1974 has led to speculation that conditions could affect turnout.​

UK 5-day Met Office weather forecast

This Evening and Tonight:

Remaining rain and squally winds over England and Wales clearing. Broken cloud and showers following, showers focused in the west and north, sometimes heavy with local hail and thunder. Snow and ice will affect some hills, chiefly over northern Scotland.

Wednesday:

A showery, cold-feeling day although with some sunshine; some eastern areas will stay fine. Showers heaviest in the west and north, with hail and thunder, and some snow on hills.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:

Continuing unsettled, with bands of rain moving across the UK, alternating with brighter, showery interludes. Windy at times, especially in the south. Snow is likely at times on northern hills.