© Gareth Fuller/PAThe Met Office says the south-east of England is likely to bear the brunt of the strongest winds.
Flood warnings were issued and some travellers faced difficult journeys as heavy rain and strong winds whipped across parts of the UK on Tuesday.
Winds of up to 50mph were predicted on the south and south-east coasts of England and up to 50mm of rain was expected to fall within 24 hours in some areas of the north-east and north Wales.
The wet and windy weather was expected to continue throughout the week as a series of low pressure systems move through.
There were Environment Agency warnings about possible flooding in the north-west of England and in Wales, although specific warnings about areas around the river Conder in Lancashire and parts of the Dyfi valley in north Wales were withdrawn.
Some ferry services were delayed or suspended because of the poor weather across the south of England. Flights in the far south-west of England were also disrupted.
Speed restrictions were imposed on the old Severn bridge because of the high winds and drivers were being warned of difficult conditions along the M4 through south Wales. Fallen trees also caused delays in Monmouthshire and Swansea.
Dan Williams, a spokesman for the Met Office, said the south-east of England was likely to bear the brunt of the strongest winds, while the Lake District and Snowdonia were due to be the soggiest places.
"It is likely to stay windy throughout the week with fast-moving low pressure systems moving through," he added.
Hundreds of seabirds, including migrating manx shearwaters, were blown inland in south-west Wales.
RSPCA staff and volunteers were attempting to rescue the birds, the biggest such operation since the Sea Empress oil spill in Pembrokeshire in 1996.
RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben appealed for local people and visitors to look out for distressed birds and contact the RSPCA if they saw any.
The islands of Skomer and Skokholm off the Pembrokeshire coast have the largest known concentration of manx shearwaters in the world. Hogben said: "Around August and September the adults and then the juveniles leave the islands to begin migration to the coast of South America, but the strong winds in the last few days have blown them off course.
"It is vital that we do our best to locate these birds as soon as possible as they are otherwise at risk with regards to predators, the weather, shock and hypothermia."
Hogben said the shearwaters were particularly at risk because they struggle to walk on land.
"Its feet are placed far back on its body enabling efficient swimming but this also makes life on land difficult; it cannot walk easily and tends to be very ungainly, shuffling and sometimes sledging along on its belly.
"If you live in the area and do come across them, the best way to capture them without encountering their sharp beak is to throw something like a towel over them and then carefully put them in a box." The RSPCA can be reached via a 24-hour helpline on 0300 1234 999.
Sixteen sailors were rescued from a vintage ship on Monday evening after its mast snapped in the strong winds.
The 120-year-old ketch, a training ship, was off the coast off Portland Bill, Dorset, when it was caught up in 40mph gusts. Its nine-metre (30ft) wooden mast broke in half and the sail and rigging fell into the sea.
Southend pier in Essex - the longest pleasure pier in the world - was closed on Tuesday to allow engineers to assess damage from a contractor's barge tethered to the pier. A statement on Southend-on-Sea borough council's website said the barge was forced into the pier by high winds and a heavy swell.
A council spokeswoman said the vessel had been moored alongside the pier to carry out scheduled maintenance work. "The pier is not about to fall down, or anything like that, but it has caused some damage," she said.
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