.Terrified passengers endure nerve racking landings as hurricane winds cause chaos at England's airports
- .Kayaker feared dead after going missing on River Wey at Guildford, in Surrey, during storm this morning
- .Passenger died on flight due to land at Heathrow but was diverted to Manchester because of the terrible conditions
- .More than 100 flights out of Gatwick and Heathrow diverted or cancelled while the Dartford Crossing was closed
- .Winds have caused havoc on nation's roads with whole trees and power lines felled by the awful conditions
- .Thousands of homes have been left without power today as tempest brings downs lines across the country
- .Flurries have blanketed parts of the north of England with the hills of the Peak District covered by snow
- .Have you woken up to Storm Katie chaos this morning? Email your pictures to: pictures@mailonline.co.uk
- .For more of the latest UK weather news and updates visit www.dailymail.co.uk/ukweather
A frantic river search is underway for the father who disappeared while trying to save his son when they were overcome by powerful river surges as they kayaked together.
Boats and helicopters are scouring the river for the man, who capsized with his dog in the boat as his son, believed to be only 12 or 13 years old, was forced to watch his father washed away by the River Wey in Guildford, Surrey, earlier today.
The boy made it onto riverbank unscathed as he and dozens of horrified eyewitnesses saw the man, whose identity is not yet known, desperately struggling to keep his head above in the yellow kayak close to a weir.
He was soon thrown from his vessel, overcome by the current and submerged, and police, fire and ambulance search teams continue to comb the waterway five hours after he went under.
Storm Katie's high winds were thought to have lashed the usually peaceful river and turned it into a raging torrent. Flood warnings were in place and police urged members of the public not to enter the water themselves if they saw anything.
On the lookout: A frantic river search is underway for the father who disappeared while trying to save his son when they were overcome by powerful river surges as they kayaked together
Search is on: A rescue team look for a missing kayaker in the swollen River Wey in Guildford, who was reported missing at around 1.40pm
Firefighters clear away some of the rubble strewn across the road and pavement after The Duchess pub in Battersea had its roof blown off
Like at other airfields around the country a small aircraft is flipped upside down in the strong winds at Popham Airfield near Basingstoke
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: 'In the canoe was a father, son and a dog when it suddenly overturned.
'The boy, who was around 12 or 13 years, was rescued but the others just went under. The man was really struggling to keep his head up but then just disappeared.
'It was absolutely awful to see, we couldn't do anything.'
The fast flowing river had grown in power after 24 hours of rainfall and it is believed that the water may have proven too much for the man to cope with.
Onlookers have now spoke of their horror after seeing the oarsman capsize.
Christopher Jackson said on Facebook that he was passing by five minutes before the man went overboard.
He said: 'I heard a dad telling his son how to paddle in passing. We could see the canoe, it was being dragged around like a bottle.'
Irene Shettle added: 'A friend has just reported that she saw it happen.
'From her report it appears to have been a father and young son, the son was in difficulties in the river down by the weir, and the father jumped in to save him and didn't make it back onto the bank, while the boy managed to.'
The authorities have since launched a search and rescue operation to find the man.
West Surrey Chief Inspector Dave Mason said: 'We have a large number of officers out looking for this man alongside a number of fire crews.
'The man was spotted in the water by several members of the public and was clearly in difficulty due to the extremely strong current.
'We are doing everything we can to try and find him.
'We are urging members of the public that if they do see him, not to try and go in after him but to call 999 straight away.'
Storm Katie brought chaos to roads, trains and flights today after blustering through Britain with winds of up to 105mph.
Help at hand: Boats and helicopters are scouring the river for the man, who capsized with his dog in the boat as his son, believed to be only 12 or 13 years old, was forced to watch his father washed away by the River Wey in Guildford, Surrey, earlier today
Frantic search: The boy made it onto riverbank unscathed as he and dozens of horrified eyewitnesses saw the man, whose identity is not yet known, desperately struggling to keep his head above in the yellow kayak close to a weir
Fearing the worst: The father is feared drowned after he was seen being thrown from his vessel, overcome by the current and submerged, and police, fire and ambulance search teams continue to comb the waterway five hours after he went under
It is also believed that the storm may have claimed its first fatality after a kayaker went missing while on the River Wey, at Guilford.
The oarsman, whose age is not yet known, was thought to have taken to the waterway this morning but was submerged as high winds lashed the usually peaceful river and turned it into a raging torrent.
Locals have said the man was a father who jumped into the water to save his son but never resurfaced. Surrey Police officers alongside a search and rescue helicopter and fire fighters are now desperately trying to find the man.
People travelling back from trips abroad endured nerve-racking landings as pilots battled awful conditions at Gatwick and Heathrow, while those who chose to stay at home woke up to walls destroyed, felled trees covering their roads and in extreme cases – roofs completely ripped off.
Motorists were forced to take alternative routes as bridges and crossings were shut due to strong winds and a deluge of rain played havoc with the nation's motorways as flooding caused lanes to be closed.
Shoppers hoping to spend their last day off bargain hunting in hypermarkets were left disappointed when the port of Dover closed for almost three hours this morning and others were left waiting on blustery platforms after major train delays took place along the south coast.
Giant: A huge tree was ripped from its roots and thrown across a suburban street in Brighton after hurricane winds from Storm Katie battered our coast this morning
Closed: The Dartford Crossing in Kent was shut amid the safety concerns caused by the hurricane winds of Storm Katie
Tossed: This light aircraft at Clacton Aero Club in Essex was completely flipped over by Storm Katie's powerful winds this morning
Missing: Search and rescue teams search for a man feared dead after his kayak capsized on the River Wey this morning
A car is left abandoned on the A54 Buxton in Derbyshire's Peak District as snow and ice make conditions on the road's perilous
A large trampoline was sent flying out of someone's a garden in Braintree, Essex, as the winds hit areas around the south east of England
The awful weather pounded The Duchess pub in Battersea, south west London, owned by British actor Jason Flemyng (right), causing part of its roof to come off and send debris across the pavement and over the road
HAS STORM KATIE CLAIMED ITS FIRST VICTIM?: MISSING MAN FEARED DEAD AFTER KAYAK CAPSIZED
Locals have claimed the man missing on the River Wey was a father who tried to save his son from surging water.
The fast flowing river had grown in power after 24 hours of rainfall and it is believed that the water may have proven too much for the man to cope with.
Onlookers have now spoke of their horror after seeing the oarsman capsize.
Christopher Jackson said on Facebook that he was passing by five minutes before the man went overboard.
He said: 'I heard a dad telling his son how to paddle in passing. We could see the canoe, it was being dragged around like a bottle.'
Irene Shettle added: 'A friend has just reported that she saw it happen.
'From her report it appears to have been a father and young son, the son was in difficulties in the river down by the weir, and the father jumped in to save him and didn't make it back onto the bank, while the boy managed to.'
The authorities have since launched a search and rescue operation to find the man.
West Surrey Chief Inspector Dave Mason said: 'We have a large number of officers out looking for this man alongside a number of fire crews.
'The man was spotted in the water by several members of the public and was clearly in difficulty due to the extremely strong current.
'We are doing everything we can to try and find him.
'We are urging members of the public that if they do see him, not to try and go in after him but to call 999 straight away.'
Search: The authorities are looking for the missing man, believed to be a father, after he fell into the the fast flowing River Wey
Air passengers have tweeted about their traumatic experiences, after the tempestuous conditions this morning, with many expressing their gratitude at having two feet on the ground.
Michele Grant posted: 'Truly thankful to be on the ground in Stansted after terrifying failed attempts to land at Gatwick in #StormKatie.'
Giulia Cortigiano tweeted: 'So glad we landed safe and sound with the Emirates flight from Dubai. That was scary! @Gatwick_Airport'
Tess Tyler was landing at Heathrow when her plane was diverted to Gatwick, she wrote: 'That was the most terrifying landing I've ever experienced. Diverted from to @gatwick_airport #StormKatie'
However, others were left scratching their heads about getting home, when they were dumped across the country with flights from Heathrow and Gatwick being diverted as far as Manchester and East Midlands airports.
Expressing his frustration, James Bell wrote: '@Fly_Norwegian thanks for dumping us at East Midlands, holding the plane for over 2 hours, then send us a txt to find our own way to gatwick'
Other passengers were stuck waiting for hours on motionless planes after being grounded by the adverse weather.
Jack Crone was on the MH0002 Malaysia Airlines flight from Bali to Heathrow when his plane was diverted to Manchester.
Mr Crone was on the plane for more than 18 hours and said that he and his fellow passengers were 'exhausted' and 'fed up'.
Swell: Storm Katie ominously blankets over south east England with the swell of the tempest looming over Kent, Essex and London
This three-day forecast shows cloud and rain today, with more sunshine expected to arrive tomorrow, which will continue on Wednesday
Speaking while still on the aircraft at Manchester Airport, he said: 'My brother was on a Singapore airlines flight to Heathrow that was also diverted to Manchester and he arrived here half an hour after us but has already left for Heathrow, while we've had absolutely no indication of when we will leave.
'We've just been sitting here for four hours. No more food has been offered to anyone and several people around me have missed connecting flights.'
Tragically the flight also experienced a fatality - although it is not known if the person's death had any relation to Storm Katie.
Mr Crone said: 'There was an exclamation of shock from everyone when the pilot announced the death but we are not on the same level as the person who died so I don't know anything about them - I asked the steward but they said they couldn't talk about it yet.
'A request for a medical professional was made a few hours before we got near London and the pilot later said the person died as we were approaching Heathrow, so it was unlikely to be sudden stress due to storm. They still haven't removed the body even though we've been here for hours. '
Mr Crone said passengers on the flight were later led to coaches and taken back to Heathrow.
However, its not just air passengers that have had their bank holiday disrupted. All high speed Condor Ferries between Poole and Guernsey, and between Guernsey and Jersey, have been cancelled on safety grounds while the Sandbanks Ferry between Studland and Poole in Dorset has also been suspended.
When those travelling across the country do get home, they may be faced with further hassle as Southern Electric Power Distribution, have announced that widespread trouble has effected tens of thousands of homes.
The firm said it had restored power to 40,300 homes since Sunday night, while a further 41,889 homes across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, West Sussex, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight are without electricity.
A couple in Orpington, Kent, woke up to 40 metres of their garden wall strewn across the road this morning as winds of up to 80mph caused havoc
Destruction: This car in Tonbridge, Kent, was completely destroyed when a tree trunk was sent crashing down by the winds of the storm
A deluge of rain brought down by Storm Katie caused the northbound junction of the M6 near Stafford to close leaving motorists forced to find alternative routes to work and home from trips away
Felled: This tree was ripped from the ground in Winchester as trunks around the country are being left on our roads and streets
Thankfully this driver escaped with only minor injuries on the M42 between junction 1 and 2 in Worcestershire as police urge motorists to take caution with high winds and torrents of rain hitting our nation's roads
Chaos: A crane was blown over in Greenwich, south east London this morning causing a nearby road to be closed and a residential building evacuated
More than 900 engineers and technical staff are now out battling to reconnect homes.
Storm Katie is expected to move north east over the course of Monday, but the heavy wind and rain is expected to ease.
In Greenwich, south east London, people were evacuated from their homes after a crane was bucked by the winds blowing around the capital.
Residents at a block of flats in Wimbledon were also greeted with a rude awakening this morning when the roof of their building was ripped off by hurricane winds.
Fire crews were still at the scene at 9am. A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: 'We were called at 6:11am this morning.
'We are still at the scene. A section of a flat roof fell into Victoria Mews. We are dealing with multiple incidents due to the weather.
'We advise people to take care when travelling and to bring inside any loose items in their garden - such as furniture or anything else that could blow away.
A road in Charlwood, Surrey, is left resembling a river as torrents of rain hammer down and cause flooding across our roads
Scaffolding was sent flying across the Woodley Shopping Centre in Reading when winds ripped the heavy poles from their boltsand caused wooden support structures to topple across the pavement
Waves crash into the seafront across railway line at Dawlish in Devon, as Storm Katie continues to hit England's coastline
This car in Gravesend, Kent, narrowly avoided being smashed by a fallen brick wall after last night's heavy winds
This wind map shows the gales that will be blowing from the Atlantic Ocean and across England with the South coast particularly suffering
RISKING HIS LIFE FOR THE ULTIMATE STORM SNAP: PHOTOGRAPHER NARROWLY AVOIDS BEING SWEPT OUT TO SEA
An amateur photographer has been labelled an 'idiot' after he put his life at risk trying to get the perfect picture of a giant wave.
Onlookers watched in horror as the man, believed to be in his early 50s, got too close to the sea during Storm Katie this morning.
He had climbed over a safety barrier at Dawlish, in Devon, but was suddenly taken by surprise as a large swell came crashing into the sea wall and completely submerged him and his camera.
He was forced to cling onto the railings and thankfully managed to avoid injury or being taken out to sea.
One witness said they were relieved to see him emerge from the wave.
He said: 'It was sheer stupidity. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
'There was no need for him to be that close or venture beyond the railings at all. When you are that close you are asking for trouble.
'I was relieved to see that the man, although thoroughly shaken, was safe and well.
'But he should have the sense not to have tried it in the first place. What an idiot. Hopefully he has learnt his lesson.'
A photographer is forced to cling onto a railing as he gets too close to waves at the seafront at Dawlish in Devon
A deluge of rain caused by the storm also left streets and roads flooded this morning as showers hit the west country and the Midlands last night.
The M6 going northbound between junctions 13 and 14 near Stafford was closed due to parts of a whole lane flooding while water rescue teams were sent to Liskeard, east Cornwall, and a man had to be rescued from his van stuck in floodwater at Dunkeswell, east Devon
Scaffolding was sent flying across a shopping centre in Reading when winds ripped the heavy poles from their bolts - causing wooden support structures to topple across the pavement.
It is not known if anyone was hurt as a result of the accident but firefighters were called to the scene to make the area safe.
While others hid indoors this morning windsurfers were seen taking advantage of the storm's high winds at Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset, while courageous, or foolhardy, swimmers were caught taking a dip at Brighton.
While others hide indoors windsurfers take advantage of the storm's high winds on Easter Monday at Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset
A blanket of snow has covered the picturesque hills of the Peak District creating a scene more akin to Christmas time than Summer
Thanks to their thick woolly coats, a flock of sheep brave the snowy weather conditions in the Peak District near Buxton, Derbyshire
Winds rip scaffolding covers to shreds at Portsmouth's Anglican Cathedral and leave the roof of an apartment building also in Portsmouth was left hanging off
Two men watch the dramatic waves generated by Storm Katie pound onto the sea wall at Chesil Cove in Dorset
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service revealed that they attended more than 30 incidents involving dangerous structures, 10 of which were in the Portsmouth area, with no injuries reported.
Area manager Steve Trevethick said: 'Hampshire firefighters, particularly those on the south coast, have worked tirelessly throughout the night making buildings and public areas safe.'
One of the incidents attended included the roof ripped off a four-storey building in Portsmouth, which led to 12 residents being evacuated to a rest centre while alternative housing is sought for them.
People hoping to take their boats out for a sail were given a nasty surprise when winds blew them completely out of the water and onto a promenade in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex.
Scenes of destruction greeted many people in the south of England today, but in Scotland it was an almost idyllic picture of early summer after Storm Katie passed around the country without incident.
Katie was the eleventh storm to be named since last autumn and arrived in Britain overnight, after being blown across the Atlantic in just 30 hours by 200mph winds.
It came after a two-day washout, with strong winds and heavy rain hitting the UK on Saturday and Sunday.
A boat is blown right out of the water and lands just yards from a promenade in Southend-on-Sea after falling victim to Storm Katie
A swimmer in Brighton prepares to brave the cold and the dangerous conditions to take a dip in the frothy sea
Walkers on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh take selfies as they enjoy the view of Edinburgh Castle, after most of the UK was battered by winds
'PACKED LIKE SARDINES': POLICE FORCED TO EVACUATE TRAIN AFTER IT BECAME DANGEROUSLY OVERCROWDED
Chaos: Rail users are forced to stand in the corridor of a packed carriage on a Great Western Railway service from London to Cornwall
Police evacuated a 'dangerously' overcrowded train full of holidaymakers as people flocked to the coast for the Easter break.
Passengers on the London Paddington to Penzance service say they were packed together like 'sardines' with many forced to lie, sit and stand in corridors and doorways for five hours.
After several hours a large amount of the passengers were told to leave the train early, at Plymouth in Devon, amid safety concerns.
British Transport Police intervened and led 150 people off the train when some passengers refused to get off.
Those who were caught up in the chaos described the situation as dangerous.
Robert Wyndham, 43, from London, said: 'We had booked our ticket weeks ago. But they seemed to be surprised at how many people wanted to go to Cornwall for the Easter bank holiday.
'We were packed in like sardines. It was dangerous and I guess they did what was necessary but it should never have got to that stage.'
Eve Conway, who tweeted pictures of the overcrowded carriages, wrote: 'Chaotic scene on overcrowded train to Penzance.
'Passengers lie in aisles, etc. Safety hazard.'
Another passenger Ali Swindell wrote on Facebook: 'It was actually dangerous. If anyone had a medical emergency there's no way they could have been seen to. You couldn't even lift your arms properly or turn.
'I asked GWR (Great Western Railway) what the limit was for passengers and they said they didn't have a limit.
'This seems crazy to me. In light of what's been happening recently you would have thought they wouldn't fill trains up to the brim.'
Another passenger Chrissie Parker wrote: 'It's like this every bank holiday.
'I had to stand in the toilet on one journey even though I had a seat booked - someone was in it and refused to move. They put on enough carriages, but the amount of people travelling is in excess of what the trains and platforms can handle.
'I do think they should do something about it. It's an accident waiting to happen.'
Great Western Railway said a further six carriages were added to a two carriage train that departed about one hour later and took the remaining passengers into Cornwall.
The company also provided another train to Penzance later on Good Friday and said the service had been busier than usual.
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