Three people have been hurt as hurricane force winds caused problems in Merseyside. They were taken to hospital after a sign blew off a market stall in Great Homer Street, Everton, and hit them.
Meanwhile, the fire service was called to deal with a number of fallen trees in Garston, Prescot, and Huyton.
Fire crews were also called to deal with slates blown from roofs in Aigburth and Walton. Motorists have been urged to take care.
The coast guard at Crosby said it had recorded force 12 gusts of up to 74 mph.
Blocked roads
Train services to Chester were disrupted for a time, after fears over the safety of the roof at Chester Station, but services were running normally by 1700 GMT.
Cheshire Fire Service said it dealt with up to 50 calls because of the bad weather.
They were mainly related to roads across the county being blocked by fallen trees.
Some power lines are also down although it is not thought there was any serious disruption.
Merseyside Fire Service also said it had a busy afternoon dealing with about 30 fallen trees across the region.