Storm Doris has claimed its first victim after a woman died when she was hit by a piece of roof the "size of a coffee table".
The pedestrian was confirmed dead at the scene outside Starbucks in Wolverhampton city centre after suffering "very serious head injuries", West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Rebecca Davis, a 40-year-old teacher from Wolverhampton, walked past shortly after the incident at around midday and saw a woman receiving CPR.
She said the woman - who looked to be aged "between 20 and 30" - appeared to have been hit by something resembling a piece of roof which had fallen off a building nearby.
"I think the wind broke it and caused it to fall. I don't know if it was hit by something else or just the wind did it," she told the Press Association.
She said that while the woman had been hit "right outside Starbucks", it was unclear if the debris had fallen from the coffee shop or from a nearby building.
"I don't think anyone else was hurt. It was a big piece about the size of a coffee table but I think it just hit her," Mrs Davis said.
West Midlands Police said officers were called to a "serious incident" in Dudley Street at around 11.50am and that it is "believed to be related to Storm Doris".
A spokeswoman said roads in the area are closed and "motorists and pedestrians are being advised to avoid the city centre".
West Midlands Ambulance Service said on arrival at the scene "crews found a woman who had suffered very serious head injuries".
"Sadly, it quickly became apparent that there was nothing that could be done to save her and she was confirmed dead at the scene," a spokesman added.
With Storm Doris battering large swathes of the country, the woman's death comes as gusts of almost 95mph have been recorded in parts of the UK.
So far, the weather system has brought down trees, grounded planes, forced the closure of the Port of Liverpool and caused the cancellation of Coronation Street filming.
Amber warnings predicting strong winds and heavy rain are in place for North Wales, the Midlands, the East and the North West and have been extended to include the London area.
The Met Office said gusts of 60mph-70mph were likely to be seen in affected areas, with 70mph-80mph expected on coasts and hills.
A top wind speed of 94mph was recorded in Capel Curig, North Wales, on Thursday morning.
There were reports of trees felled by the winds across the country, with one trapping a man in a van on the A374 in Cornwall, and others collapsing on to houses in London and Wigan.
As Doris hit, Peel Ports in Liverpool announced the city's port had been closed due to "100mph gusts of wind".
The company said: "All operations are stood down for the safety of our employees, contractors and customers of the port."
Network Rail advised that "Storm Doris has caused significant disruption throughout the country", with an enforced speed limit on some lines.
With fallen trees, objects caught in overhead wires, heavy rain, flooding and debris on the tracks causing delays across many services, a spokesman said employees are "doing all we can to keep the network running".
Flights were also affected, with a Heathrow spokesman warning of a "10% reduction" in the airport's schedule.
Highways England also issued a weather alert on major roads.
A number of roads were closed as Doris rolled across Britain, including the M6 Thelwall Viaduct in both directions between junction 20 and 21 in the North West and the QE2 Bridge in Dartford, Kent.
In Scotland snowfall saw the M80 closed in both directions, as well as schools shut and some ferry services cancelled.
Up to 6in (15cm) of snow was expected to fall across parts of Scotland and north-east England, bringing treacherous, blizzard-like conditions.
And in Ireland almost 46,000 households woke up to no electricity after violent gusts battered large swathes of the country throughout the night.
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