The day it was so windy the waterfall ran uphill: Britain battered by 106mph gales which leave two dead - and there's more to come in the next 24 hour

Winds of 106mph recorded in Pennines. Force 11 winds batter Channel
Atlantic front hits UK with fierce winds and heavy rain
Van driver, 50, killed by tree falling on his vehicle as gales cause havoc
Sailor also dies after tanker in English Channel is hit by wave
Extreme weather causes misery for millions heading back to work
Roads closed and trains delayed by fallen trees
Roof of grandstand blown off at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey
Trains affected as passengers are urged not to travel

By CHRIS PARSONS and GARETH FINIGHAN

Crushed: The driver of a single decker bus in Witley, Surrey, was badly injured when an oak tree came crashing down on the vehicle

Winds of up to 106mph battered Britain yesterday, bringing death and destruction as many returned to work after the Christmas holidays.
A driver was killed when a tree fell on his van. The storm also claimed the life of a man on board a tanker which was hit by a huge wave in the Channel.
Barely a single area was spared the onslaught roaring in from the Atlantic, which toppled lorries and brought down power lines.

Upside down: Coastguard search and rescue had to attend a caravan park 300 miles from the Outer Hebrides when a home appeared to be flipped on to its roof near Dunoon in Argyll and Bute

Buildings were damaged, roads closed and trains, flights and ferries were cancelled.
The Met Office issued numerous severe weather warnings and emergency services urged motorists and pedestrians to stay indoors.
However, some had to be evacuated from their houses because of flooding.
Sleet and snow added to the problems in some parts, bringing a cold wake-up call to Britain in 2012 after an unusually mild festive season.

Overturned: A lorry lies on its side after being blown over by high wind on the A66 in County Durham, as gusts of up to 85mph battered the country

Heavy damage: A large tree rests on three cars after being blown over in Havant, Hampshire

Water sight: In the valley of High Cup Nick, Cumbria, gale force winds blew water from a waterfall upwards into the sky

A Met Office spokesman said last night: ‘An intense Atlantic storm passed over the UK bringing some very strong winds with it.
‘We do expect stormy conditions at this time of year, but the strength of this one was unusual.’
The driver who died was a man in his 50s whose identity has not been revealed.
A 3ft-diameter tree trunk smashed on to his van in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

On a wing and a prayer: A passenger jet gets blown of course while attempting to land in gale force winds at England's highest airport, Leeds Bradford International

Stranded: Passengers at Heathrow Airport wait for news of their flights, which were disrupted by the weather

The Norman Spirit ferry limps into Dover, Kent, as fierce storms batter Britain, with heavy rain and winds gusting up to 85mph

Making waves: Surf crashes over the harbour wall in Dover, Kent, as wind speeds topped 90mph in parts of the country

Worst hit was Scotland’s central belt, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, where winds of up to 102mph forced the closure of main road and rail bridges and the cancellation of flights and train services.
At one stage 60,000 homes were without power.
The East Coast train company halted virtually all its services north of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Winds of 106mph were recorded at Great Dun Fell in the north Pennines.
Around 1,500 homes in Steeton, near Keighley, West Yorkshire, were without gas after equipment was damaged by high winds.

A cyclist tries to cycle through the floodwater at the promenade in Ayr despite the high winds and heavy rains...

Paying the price: In Southampton, bricks rained down on a public pavement today as a shop frontage collapsed in the face of extreme winds

A waterfall appeared to defy gravity when, instead of gushing down, it flowed upwards towards the skies.
The image was captured close to Great Dun Fell in the Pennines where a windspeed of 106mph was recorded earlier today.
East Coast trains said it was 'very unlikely ' that any services would operate north of Newcastle for the rest of the day.
Edinburgh Waverley station was closed for safety reasons and engineers will assess the building this afternoon.

A graph posted from the official Twitter account of the Forth Road Bridge in Queensferry, Scotland, showed how average wind speeds today were literally off the charts in the morning

Temperatures peaked at 15C (59F) on New Year’s Eve, ending a year which has been the warmest apart from 2006.
The average temperature over last year was 9.62C (49.3F) and the UK enjoyed its warmest April and spring on record, the second warmest autumn and the warmest October day.
Temperatures reached as high as 33.1C (91.5F) at Gravesend in Kent on June 27.
Weather experts predict a marked drop in temperature, with the unusually mild conditions over Christmas and the New Year making way for more seasonal mercury readings.

The Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh was just one part of the UK to battle through high winds and storms today (file picture)

Despite the milder conditions over Christmas, average temperatures for last month are likely to be close to average.
John Prior, national climate manager at the Met Office, said: ‘While it may have felt mild for many so far this December, temperatures overall have been close to what we would expect.
‘It may be that the stark change from last year, which was the coldest December on record for the UK, has led many to think it has been unseasonably warm.’

Stormy scene: Waves crash over the sea front in Southsea, Hampshire, as motorists were urged to take extra care and bridges were closed


All at sea: A pilot boat returning to Portsmouth battles through high waves and fierce storms as gusts topped 85mph this morning

On the whole, Britain saw 105 per cent of the expected sunshine in 2011 and 102.8 per cent of the expected rainfall.
But while Scotland saw heavy rain - 122 per cent of the year's average - England remained drier at 84.3 per cent.
Areas in East Anglia had the second lowest rainfall on record while parts of the Midlands saw the third driest year.

source: dailymail