Millions of people could see their travel plans disrupted this weekend after a 'multi-pronged attack' of wind, rain and snow delayed rail services and created treacherous conditions on the roads.
Strong gales ripped across the country, tearing roofs off buildings, while flooded areas received another downpour and high ground in the North was coated in snow.
The rain and snow have left many roads slippery and dangerous, and weeks of storms have damaged railway lines, meaning that families hoping to travel for the beginning of the half-term break can expect major delays on the vast majority of routes.
More than 2,000 members of the Armed Forces - including Princes William and Harry - have been involved in the disaster relief efforts so far, with 3,000 more on standby if needed.
The royal brothers were pictured helping the Household Cavalry transport sandbags and build protective walls in Datchet, Berkshire, a stone's throw from their grandmother's home at Windsor Castle.
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Darkness at noon: The M27 passing Portsmouth was clothed in a near-black fog today
Nightmare: The poor conditions on many roads could lead to difficulties for people hoping to travel at the start of the half-term holiday
Gloom: Travel battled through the rain today and rail services around the country were heavily disrupted
More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the Thames Valley area and the West Country area already.
But hundreds more homes are set to be flooded over the next 36 hours, while at least 17,000 people remain without power thanks to this week's storms.
Peter Willison, of the Environment Agency (EA) told a Whitehall briefing: 'We are likely to see more severe flood warnings along the south coast representing the risk from very strong and big waves.
'The rainfall that we will see today, that will bring river levels back up on the Thames and we expect levels on slow responding rivers like the Thames, like the Severn, to stay high for a number of days to come.
'This remains a very live event. I expect we will see further property flooding.'
Toby Willison of the EA said: 'We expect levels in the Thames and Severn to stay high for a number of days to come. I expect we will see further flooding.'
He added that it is expected to take 'many days' before levels in the two rivers begin to recede, while those areas affected by groundwater flooding - including Dorset, Sussex and Kent - will 'potentially take weeks' to recover.
Tony Glover, from the Energy Networks Association, said: 'The impact in the North West was nothing less than devastation for large parts of that area. The result is that we still have over 17,000 people centred in that area off power.'
Major General Patrick Sanders, the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations), said 2,200 armed forces personnel were taking part in the flood relief operation, with a further 3,000 on stand-by.
Maj Gen Sanders said the tasks the troops had been undertaking had included filling sandbags, helping the elderly in and out of their flooded homes, and taking children to school, while a group of vehicle mechanics from the Household Cavalry Regiment had even rescued a swan.
'We are ready to support wherever in the United Kingdom it is required,' he said. 'The armed forces are on an enduring operational footing to fight the impact of these floods and we will do it for as long as we are needed.'
Blaze: Large parts of Borth Bog on the west coast of Wales are on fire after high-voltage power lines collapsed overnight
Flames: A line of fire could be seen this morning after the power lines ignited the highly flammable peat bog
Smoke: The bog, also known as Cors Fochno, was set ablaze overnight as the extreme weather continues
The turbulent conditions prompted a massive fire on the west coast of Wales, when downed power lines apparently ignited the peat in Borth Bog, sending up a line of flames and throwing smoke over the adjoining town.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze was spread along a half-mile stretch of the bog covering about two-and-a-half acres.
The cause of the blaze was a mystery, especially as the ground was saturated by a month of storms.
Villager Bryn Jones, 57, said: 'It's an incredible scene to see flames and smoke in the middle of this storm weather.
'We have got used to waking up to floods, storm damage and even snow - but to see the land on fire was a bit of a shock.'
It came as the Government’s chief fire and rescue adviser said the crisis has prompted the biggest emergency response in 70 years.
Clear-up: David Cameron talks to a builder who is helping to repair a house which was damaged in Blackpool
Meeting: Mr Cameron talks to representatives of the police, fire service, military and power companies in Blackpool
Blizzards: A car is abandoned in the snow in County Durham after several weeks of severe weather across Britain
Freeze: The scene this morning showed how residents of northern England have seen their homes buried in snow
Stuck: Motorists found themselves stranded in deep snow on a road which runs from Cumbria to County Durham
Peter Holland revealed that 70 per cent of the fire and rescue services in England and Wales were involved in the flood relief effort.
He said: ‘We are now facing the largest deployment that has taken place since the Second World War.’
Matt Wrack, leader of the Fire Brigades Union, who is visiting flood-hit areas in the South West, said firefighters were reporting shortages of manpower and equipment because of spending cuts.
He said: 'Wherever there's a flood firefighters are doing a fantastic job helping to keep people safe and reduce the damage done to local communities.#
'But our members are reporting that cuts to fire and rescue services are making it very difficult to cope with the demands of such extreme weather.
The Environment Agency has 23 severe flood warnings - which mean a risk to life - in place in the Thames Valley, Somerset and Gloucestershire, as well as 131 flood warnings across England and Wales and 246 flood alerts.
s Storms and high winds ripped off roof tiles and a complete side of a building, destroying cars in Crewe
The debris fell onto several cars for sale in Oakridge Car Sales in West Street, Crewe. The road is still closed to traffic with the likelihood of the building to be demolished
Endless rain: Alan Hayward helps recover his neighbour's Porsche car in a flooded garage near Staines-Upon-Thames
A resident pulls a boat towards his house in a flooded street near Staines-Upon-Thames, England. The Met Office has issued a red weather warning
Residents pull their possessions in a canoe on a flooded street near Staines-Upon-Thames. Homes and businesses across the country have suffered severe damage from the relentless storm
Residents in Gloucester are bracing themselves for flooding after fears were raised that flood defences could be breached tonight.
A severe flood warning remains in place along the River Severn in the city and the Environment Agency (EA) was warning the flood defences could be breached at high tide tonight.
The EA has issued a severe flood warning - meaning a risk to life - for Alney Island, which is about a mile from the city centre.
With the River Severn at its highest level for years, more rain is expected today, but a lot of money has been spent on defences in the Gloucester area since the floods of 2000.
The Met Office says between 10mm and 15mm of rain may fall today accompanied by strong winds.
The weather has claimed three lives in the past three days. Last night, two cyclists were killed in a flood-hit village in Berkshire by a car which was apparently fleeing from police after they arrived to investigate reports of a dangerous incident.
A grandfather was killed after being hit by a tree brought down in the storms.
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