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Weather warnings have been upgraded, roads closed and people told not to stockpile goods as England and the Channel Islands prepare for Storm Ciarán.
The Met Office has issued yellow and amber warnings – indicating potential risks to life and property – for wind and rain across the country.
Winds of up to 80mph could cause travel disruption, damage to buildings and flying debris.
There are 26 flood warnings in place.
It comes less than two weeks after Storm Babet wreaked havoc across the UK.
Alerts for the Essex coast have been upgraded to amber from 06:00 GMT to 20:00 on Thursday.
The East of England is expected to feel the brunt of the storm, with yellow warnings for central Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Buckinghamshire from Wednesday.
Storm conditions on the Channel Islands are predicted to be the worst in more than 36 years.
In Jersey, main coastal roads will be closed from Wednesday evening. Schools and the airport will close on Thursday, and the government has said people should work from home to “reduce the risk” to those providing essential services.
People on Jersey and Guernsey have also been asked not to stockpile goods, after supermarket shelves were stripped bare.
Gusts of 80mph are possible on exposed parts of the south coast of England, with 20-25mm of rain expected in southern and western areas.
Flood warnings have been issued in areas of southern and eastern England, including Cornwall, Poole, the Isle of Wight, and along the Arun, Witham and Derwent rivers.
An amber warning of wind has been issued for South West England from 03:00 to 13:00 on Thursday; and for the East of England, London, the South East and the South West from 06:00 to 20:00 on Thursday.
Storm Ciarán: Damaging winds and heavy rain later in the week
Yellow rain warnings have been issued for the East of England, London, the South East, South West and West Midlands from 18:00 on Wednesday to 23:59 Thursday; and for the North East and Yorkshire & The Humber from 06:00 on Thursday to 06:00 on Friday.
Yellow warnings of wind have been issued for the East of England, London, South East and South West from 21:00 on Wednesday to 23:59 Thursday.
In Exmouth, a cracked seawall in front of a new watersports centre is getting extra protection from the council.
East Devon District Council said a temporary barrier of sand and a fabric membrane were being put in place to reduce the impact of waves from the storm.
With trees still in full leaf and the ground already saturated, Devon County Council said there was a high chance that there would be a lot of debris on the roads and a risk of highway flooding.
It said it would have additional staff monitoring the highways, as well as tree surgeons and gully jetters on standby to keep drains and gullies as clear as possible.
Storm Ciarán will arrive following localised weather-related incidents last weekend when large waves brought down coastal barriers in North Tyneside and homes were evacuated and shops were damaged when a village in County Durham was deluged by “several feet of water”.
In West Sussex on Sunday, a caravan park in Bognor Regis was submerged, the town’s Tesco supermarket car park was flooded, and the roof of a house was ripped off in heavy winds that residents described as like a “tornado”.
People in about 80 homes in the Lincolnshire village of Fiskerton have been warned they may have to live with the threat of flooding for some time after damage caused by Storm Babet was found along a 30m (98.4ft) section of the River Witham.
Isle of Wight Council has also issued a series of advice and warnings after roads were left impassable, trains stopped operating and homes were left damaged by flood water last week.
It has announced changes to waste services for the next fortnight and urged residents not to try to dry out flood-damaged soft furnishings due to the risk of contamination.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Chris Almond said there was a small risk of exposed areas seeing 90mph winds in the coming days, and that winds could reach up to 60mph further inland.
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