Millions of rush-hour commuters across the country battled hurricane-force conditions this morning as St Jude's storm battered Britain, with two people killed and hundreds of thousands of homes left without power.

The Great Storm of 2013 has brought travel chaos to passengers, with all forms of transport hit by the hurricane-force conditions.

Torrential rain and gale force winds left a trail of destruction including surface water floods, with the Met Office advising that 20-44mm of rain could fall within six hours overnight.

A man in his 50s was killed when a tree fell on the Peugeot 307 car he was driving in Watford, at around 6.50am, Hertfordshire Police said, while a 17-year-old girl was killed in Hever, Kent, when a tree blew on to the caravan where she was sleeping this morning.

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Up to 220,000 homes suffered power cuts as St Jude’s storm - with winds of almost 100mph - pushed across the South West, South, South East, the Midlands and the East of England, UK Power Networks said.

Falling trees and other debris covering railway tracks caused travel misery for thousands of commuters, with trains and London Underground services suspended.

With dozens of trees falling on to rail lines, nearly all main line services failed to run during the morning rush-hour, while those London-bound commuters taking to the Tube found the open-air sections of the Underground badly affected.

The port of Dover in Kent had to shut, more than 130 flights at Heathrow Airport were cancelled and many roads were impassable due to fallen trees.

Rail companies said disruptions were likely to last well into the day, with some, including Stansted Express and Greater Anglia, saying they would be unable to run services until at least 12 noon.

There were severe delays on Britain’s busiest motorway, the M25, due to the shutting of the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford River Crossing. A section of the M11 in Essex was closed due to an overturned lorry.

The scene in Hever, Kent, where a 17-year-old girl was killed when a tree blew on to the caravan where she was sleeping
The scene in Hever, Kent, where a 17-year-old girl was killed when a tree blew on to the caravan where she was sleeping

On the England-Wales border, the M48 Severn Bridge was closed in both directions between junction 2 at the A466 (Chepstow) and junction 1 at the A403 (Aust), because of strong winds.

Other motorways with hold-ups included the M2 in Kent, the M3 in Surrey, the M4 in Berkshire, the M6 in Cheshire and the M8 in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Political business in Westminster has been disrupted after a crane collapsed on to the roof of the Cabinet Office during high winds. The equipment fell on the Whitehall building early this morning.

The building was evacuated, and surrounding streets cordoned off, but no injuries have been reported.

The strongest gust of wind was recorded at 99mph on the Isle of Wight. The strongest gales were expected to have cleared the mainland by mid-morning with scattered showers and blustery winds remaining.

The Environment Agency said there were 12 flood warnings in place across the South West, the Midlands and the East of England.

There were also 131 flood alerts telling people to be prepared for flooding.

Workmen view the damage after a crane collapsed on the roof of the Cabinet Office, central London
Workmen view the damage after a crane collapsed on the roof of the Cabinet Office, central London

A falling tree devastated three houses when it fell on a gas main and led to an explosion in Hounslow, west London.

Although the Kent port of Dover was reopened, P&O Ferries warned of delays of up to two hours on some sailings.

A double-decker bus “rolled over” in Suffolk, injuring the driver and several passengers.

Witnesses told police the vehicle blew over at 8am, rolling onto its side and coming to a stop in a field in Hadleigh.

The driver, a man in his 40s, was initially trapped and was treated at the scene by paramedics.

In central London, Whitehall was closed both ways between Parliament Square and Horse Guards Avenue after a crane collapsed on to the roof of the Cabinet Office.

During a visit to the Mini plant in Oxford, Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Any injury or loss of life is hugely regrettable.

“We have to make sure the emergency services can act as fast as they can to help people.”