52,000 without power after 100 mph storms hit north and west Wales
Gusts up to 80mph battered west and north west Wales Some 52,000 homes are without power as winds of over 100 mph batter the coast forcing the closure of roads, rail lines and schools.
Wales has been offered military help following Wednesday's storms.
Secretary of State David Jones spoke to First Minister Carwyn Jones after the UK government's emergency Cobra meeting and offered the Army's help.
A red "take action" weather warning was issued by the Met Office as exceptionally strong winds hit.
A Wales Office spokesman said: "Given the weather forecast from the Met Office for the next 24 hours of strong winds in west Wales, the secretary of state spoke to the first minister this morning.
"He told the first minister that, if required, he just needs to ask for military assistance.
"Obviously the kind of assistance will depend on what was needed.
The red warning for wind applies to six coastal counties
"However, the secretary of state, having attended Cobra this morning, said he would work with cabinet colleagues to make resources available."
North Wales has 10,000 homes without power, with more than 40,000 also affected elsewhere, including in Brecon, Chepstow, Monmouth, Usk, Pontypool, Swansea and Haverfordwest.
In Cardiff, a man was left injured on Westgate Street after he was apparently struck on the head by a street sign blown over in the wind.
And Rhydhelig Avenue, one of the main routes used to get to the University of Wales Hospital - including by ambulances - has been blocked by a fallen tree.
North Wales Police, Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales fire service urged people to stay indoors during the high winds.
North Wales Police chief inspector Darren Wareing said: "The weather is set to get worse over the next few hours and conditions are becoming treacherous."
Part of Mold Road in Wrexham has been closed until Thursday morning after damage to part of the roof of the Racecourse football ground. This is expected to cause traffic problems.
Pembrokeshire council has also warned people not to travel unless they had to.
In Ceredigion, Aberystwyth University advised staff and students to leave the campus as soon as they could while most bus services in the county are suspended.
- Follow the storm in your area: South west Wales;South east Wales;Mid Wales;North west Wales; North east Wales
All rail services west of Llanelli have been stopped, while services between Bangor and Holyhead have been suspended.
A caravan was blown over by the strong winds in Aberystwyth 
Rough seas in Pendine, Carmarthenshire But the weather warning is expected to be downgraded to a yellow "be aware" warning on Thursday.
BBC Wales weather presenter Behnaz Akhgar said: "It will be much quieter on Thursday, with a risk of icy patches first thing. It will still be breezy but much lighter winds compared with today. There will be some sunny spells with heavy showers which could have a wintry element.
"Then all eyes will be on the next area of low pressure which will bring more wind and rain with it through Friday. There will be very unwelcome rain with further risk of flooding. But the rain will clear north-eastwards on Saturday leaving a mostly dry day on Sunday."
The west and north west coast have been worst hit, and a gust of 108 mph has been recorded at Aberdaron, according to the Met Office.
Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Anglesey, Pembrokeshire, Conwy, Powys areas have all been badly affected.
Rhydhelig Avenue in Cardiff is a main route to the University of Wales Hospital, which is used by ambulances 
Sand is blown across Mumbles Road and beyond during strong winds in Swansea 
A tree came down on the road between Laugharne and Pendine Dyfed-Powys Police and North Wales Police have been holding emergency meetings with other agencies to discuss the storm, which has been causing severe damage in parts of Wales.
On A487 near Penycwm, Pembrokeshire, the force of the wind blew a door off a bus, but no one was injured.
Roof panels have come off Sir Thomas Picton school sports hall in Haverfordwest, which will be closed on Thursday as a result, while Spittal school, also in the town, has slates come off the roof.
And a school bus has been hit by a tree but no children were on board.
Meanwhile in Carmarthenshire, Pembrey and Llyn Llech Owain Country Parks were closed because of a risk with falling trees. Abergwili Museum and Parc Howard Museum were also closed.
St Fagans National History Museum on the outskirts of Cardiff was also shut for health and safety reasons due to the weather.
The strong gusts caused disruption in west Wales with roads closed due to fallen trees, and more than 70 schools closed across the country.
"Safeguarding is a priority," said Janet Kingston, head teacher of Greenhill School, Tenby.
"We have checked the winds and they are around 70 mph at present, and the coastguard and the Met Office have warned us they are likely to peak at 3pm when pupils leave," she said.
"Flying debris could be a danger. There is nothing spectacular but because the winds are due to get to hurricane force we have brought the departure time forward."
Some residents in Criccieth, Gwynedd, told BBC News the wind and rain had been relentless.
Tenby was battered by the storm 
Trees blown down in Aberystwyth "I've never seen anything like this before. Since Christmas, there hasn't been a day which hasn't seen strong winds or rain," said Dei Jones.
"I do a lot of walking, and you'd have to be at 3,000ft to get weather like this. It does seem endless."
His wife, Cheryl, called the conditions "hellish".
"It's the same feeling I had on the top on Ben Lawers in Scotland in a gale," she said.
The strong winds have also been battering the Aberystwyth coast.
"Winds are incredibly strong up here and the rain is battering down," said BBC Wales' Charlotte Dubenskij who is in Llandre in Ceredigion, west Wales.
The severe weather has caused severe disruption on the roads, with the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire and the M48 Severn Bridge being closed to all vehicles.
The M4 is closed at the Briton Ferry Bridge between junctions 41 and 42 for Baglan and Fabian Way because of strong winds, while one lane on the M4 westbound between junctions 47 and 48 has been closed by a fallen tree.
The Britannia Bridge, which connects Anglesey to the mainland, has closed because of an overturned lorry.
As well as road chaos, ferry services from west Wales are cancelled and there is a revised timetable for train services due to flooding.
Arriva Trains Wales passengers have been told to check before they travel as all services are facing delays.
Meanwhile, a flood warning from Natural Resources Wales has five flood warnings in place.
Carmarthenshire council will have gritters out later on main routes as temperatures are expected to dip below freezing.
The Welsh government said it was monitoring the situation.
A spokesperson said: "We would advise those in affected areas to take care, to only make journeys that are essential and to prepare properly when doing so."
- Have you got any photographs of how the stormy weather is affecting your area? Also, get in touch with your contact details to tell us what is happening in your area. Please send them in via email to newsonline.wales@bbc.co.uk.
Gusts up to 80mph and possibly 100mph are expected in the most exposed areas in west and north west Wales 
The swollen River Dee near the Chainbridge Hotel in Llangollen on Wednesday 
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