Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK with tens of thousands of Britons across the country facing widespread power cuts, travel disruption and school closures. It comes after the wild, wintry weather brought 99mph winds while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the South West.

More than 43,000 properties were without power in the South West at 6am on Friday, according to the National Grid’s website, while about 14,000 had no power in the West Midlands and 530 were without power in Wales.

Cornwall Council advised residents to avoid travelling on Friday morning, saying: “A large number of roads are still closed due to fallen trees, downed power lines and debris.

“Our teams are working around the clock to clear them, and we ask that you give crews the space they need to carry out urgent repairs safely.”

More than 450 addresses in the East Midlands were also without power heading into Friday morning, with National Grid telling customers in the south west of England that it was aiming to have services restored by 8am.

In a statement issued just after 6am, East Midlands Airport said its runway had reopened after being closed overnight due to heavy snow on the runway.

Passengers were warned delays may linger throughout the day.

Birmingham Airport said at 7.15am that its runway had reopened on a “reduced basis” and teams were working to get passengers moving as efficiently as possible.

Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly on Thursday, which is a new record for the site, the Met Office said.

All trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6pm on Thursday, Network Rail said.

In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.

Rail services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day on Friday due to the weather, National Rail said.

West Midlands Railway warned customers not to travel until at least Friday afternoon, while London Northwestern Railway said all morning services between Birmingham and Liverpool Lime Street have been suspended.

Chiltern Railways, which plans to operate around half of its normal timetable, said it was not running services north of Birmingham Moor Street or on the line to Stratford-upon-Avon.

A number of East Midlands Railway (EMR) services will be affected, with EMR confirming that the Hope Valley – the line between Sheffield and Manchester – will be closed all day.

National Highways said the A30 in Cornwall is closed in both directions between the A394 at Longrock and the A3074 at St Erth “due to a large number of trees that have fallen and are blocking the road”, with Devon and Cornwall Police assisting at the scene.

The storm, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, has been described as a “multi-hazard event” by the Met Office, with as much as 30cm of snow possible in parts of the UK.

Weather warnings were issued for snow, wind, rain and ice across the country, ahead of likely “disruption and dangerous travelling conditions”.

Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Storm Goretti will be a multi-hazard event, with the most significant impacts from snow in parts of Wales and the Midlands and the very strong winds in the far South West, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many.”

A yellow warning for wind has been issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast, while a yellow warning for snow covers swathes of England from Bath to Northumberland.

Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow runs until 9am on Friday, covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire.

About 10 to 15cm of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District.

Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales have announced they will be closed on Friday where the amber weather warning has been issued.

The Met Office issued advice for anyone suffering power cuts. It said: "People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.

"If isolated due to snow, follow these simple steps to keep safe and well: keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night; turn off electrical heaters and put out your fire before going to bed; ensure pets are safe by keeping them warm and comfortable; prevent frozen pipes by opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing; stay indoors, wrap up warm and close internal doors to keep the heat in; and, if you need support call the British Red Cross Support Line on 0808 196 3651."

A yellow warning for snow and ice is also in force across much of Scotland, where more than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, plus a number in Moray.

The red warning, which was in place until 11pm on Thursday, warned of damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.

The Met Office’s website says amber weather warnings are issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.

Yellow warnings are issued for a range of weather situations, including when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places, or when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower, according to the Met Office.

Southwest - More than 43,000 properties were without power in the South West at 6am on Friday.

West Midlands - Around 14,000 had no power. 

Wales - 530 properties were without power.

National Grid said it had restored power to around 147,983 properties across the South West, Midlands, and South Wales by 9am.