Parts of the UK have been told to expect some of the worst weather conditions for 30 years as a combination of gale force winds and large waves threaten to bring "severe" flooding.
The Environment Agency and Met Office are predicting huge tidal surges within 48 hours that could see water levels breach sea defences along the east coast of England.
Forecasters have warned that sea levels in some places could be as high as in 1953's devastating flooding - when 326 deaths in eastern counties of England and Scotland exposed weaknesses in Britain's flood defences.
The Thames Barrier was closed on Thursday night to protect London.
Train operators are asking commuters to prepare for delays and Scotrail has cancelled all trains before 7am today, with forecasters predicting 95mph winds and a dusting of snow across parts of the country.
Areas most at risk include the North Sea coast from Northumberland down to the Thames Estuary and Kent.
The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning - its highest category - to homes and businesses near The Quay in Sandwich, Kent, for high tides at 12.43am and 1.06pm on Friday. At present, there are also 34 flood warnings and 59 flood alerts in place.
Hurricane force winds hit the UK, causing widespread damage, in October The tidal reaches of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire could also be affected.
On the west coast, from Cumbria down to Cheshire, severe gales and large waves combined with high water levels are also expected.
Environment Agency chief executive Dr Paul Leinster said: "Gale force winds and large waves along the east coast of England are forecast during Thursday and Friday, coinciding with high tides and a significant coastal surge.
"Flooding of some coastal communities is expected and some defences could be overtopped by the combined effect of high tides, high winds and a tidal surge.
"Coastal paths and promenades will be highly dangerous as there is an increased risk of people being swept out to sea."
If the predictions are correct the UK will experience some of its most severe weather since a storm in October that saw hurricane force winds rip through the south of the country, killing four people.
The Met Office has already issued a flurry of weather warnings, having told people in parts of Scotland and northern England they could face a short, sharp, stormy spell of weather over the next 48 hours.
Sky News weather producer Chris England said: "Damaging 90mph gusts are likely in the far north and northwest, while Scotland's Central Belt can expect gusts of over 70mph."
Forecasters said the winds will turn more northerly on Thursday afternoon and into Friday, bringing cold air and snow showers down from the Arctic.
October's storm swept across the south of Britain England has been largely spared extreme weather so far this winter, though that is expected to change when northerly winds from the Arctic bring freezing temperatures to large parts of the UK with snow showers affecting Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of northern England, north Wales and the east coast from Thursday.
Temperatures are due to plummet to as low as -4C (25F) overnight on Thursday in parts of Scotland with the bitter northerly winds set to leave the rest of the country shivering.
The weather is likely to bring a certain amount of disruption to transport services, with Network Rail already bracing customers in Scotland and parts of north and eastern England for delays.
Robin Gisby, Network Rail's director of operations, said: "As we saw with the recent storm which affected the south of England, being prepared and on top of severe weather is key to helping us resume normal levels of services as quickly as possible.
"We will be monitoring conditions on the ground closely throughout the night and into the morning and will have teams in place to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather.
"We will keep as much of the network open as is possible however the potential extreme nature of the conditions and the impact it could have on our infrastructure means that speed restrictions and other measures are necessary in the interests of the safety of passengers and our staff."
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