Wind gusts of almost 80mph have been recorded overnight as much of England and Wales remains under a yellow weather warning.
The Met Office said the strongest speeds were measured at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, which reached 78mph, while Aberdaron in Gwynedd saw 66mph and Capel Curig in Conwy 59mph.
Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, the Isle of Portland in Dorset and Bridlington in East Yorkshire also saw gusts between 54mph and 58mph.
The alert, which came into force at 8pm on Sunday, is due to remain in place until 6pm on Monday and covers most of England and Wales except the north of the Lake District and far North East.
Forecasters have warned of possible travel disruption, delays to transport and large waves affecting coastal areas, with short-term power cuts also possible.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said there could be “low impacts in general” but added: “Nonetheless, there could be some brief kind of power interruptions and some travel disruption for the return to work on Monday morning.
“So it will be quite a windy start to the week. Gales certainly possible for many parts of England and Wales, perhaps even severe gales on Irish Sea coasts.
“The strongest winds are expected to be for west Wales and north-west England on Monday morning.”
Winds are expected to slowly ease from the west later on Monday afternoon and into the evening.
Mr Morgan added that Monday will bring “a windy and pretty unsettled start to the week with a mixture of sunny spells and heavy blustery showers”, mainly in England and Wales, but there will be “some fairly brisk winds at times further north as well”.
People have been encouraged to secure loose items outside their homes and gardens, check for delays and road closures and take care near the coast.