Severe flood warnings are in place on England’s east coast and homes are being evacuated as emergency services brace themselves for a storm surge.
There are 17 of the Environment Agency warnings – meaning there is a threat to life – in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Residents in Jaywick, Essex, and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk have been told to leave their homes immediately ahead of high tides on Friday evening.
It comes as snow, ice and winds have caused travel problems across the UK.
High tide is due in many areas at about 21:45 GMT.
Elsewhere, there are more than 80 flood warnings – meaning immediate action is required – and more than 50 flood alerts in place.
The government’s flood information service predicts gale force winds will cause large waves, resulting in “potential damage to flood defences and flooding of property”.
Evacuate ‘immediately’ Essex Police are telling residents in Jaywick, Mistley and West Mersea, near Clacton-on-Sea, to leave their homes “immediately” and to “comply with police instructions”.
Officials say about 2,500 homes and properties in the county could be affected by flooding, with the evening high tide expected there at around midnight.
Leaflets were delivered to homes on Friday morning warning people that their properties “could be flooded by sea water up to a depth of three metres”.
By mid-afternoon, an educational centre in Tendring, Essex – which had been set up to cater for those evacuated from Jaywick – had registered 85 of its residents.
Nigel Brown, from Tendring Council, said there was room for 1,000 people and explained that, while the lunchtime high tide had not led to any significant problems, they were ready for the next high tide at about 23:00 GMT.
Residents in approximately 5,000 properties near Great Yarmouth have also been told to leave their homes.
The number of properties affected could rise to 7,000, with high water due at Great Yarmouth at 21.30 GMT.
Meanwhile, the Suffolk Resilience Forum said there were about 1,880 properties at high risk of flooding in the county.
People are being told to “take care near coastal defences and avoid coastal paths and promenades.”
Weather disruption across the UK:
Up to 7in (18cm) of snow has fallen in Scotland, with warnings of high wind on the Skye, Dornoch and Kessock road bridges in the Highlands RAF Sentinel surveillance aircraft will fly over Lincolnshire later to check for damage to flood defences.
Several schools in the county are also closed Some flights at Manchester Airport have been delayed while staff de-ice aircraft Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris due to “weather conditions” in south-east England and northern France
Also in Scotland, the A93 has been closed south of Braemar, while speed restrictions are in place due to high winds on the Forth Road Bridge and the Skye Bridge.
In anticipation of the storms, the Environment Agency has installed more than five miles (8km) of temporary barriers and sent 25 pumps to depots and towns along the east coast.
Environment Agency chief executive Sir James Bevan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier that the first tide to hit the coast on Friday was “slightly under the height that we expected”.
“The second, due this evening, may come out slightly higher than has been anticipated,” he added.
Floods minister Therese Coffey said: “Our absolute priority is protecting lives, homes and businesses from the threat of coastal flooding currently facing the east coast.”
What is a storm surge? A storm surge is a change in sea level that is caused by a storm. The main cause of a storm surge is high winds pushing the sea water towards the coast, causing it to pile up there.
The strong winds in the storm generate large waves on top of the surge which can cause damage to sea defences, or spill over the top adding to the flood risk.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.