An elderly man has been killed as winds of up to 174km/h lashed Britain and heavy rain brought more flood misery for parts of the country.
The Met Office has issued a red weather warning for exceptionally strong winds in western parts of Wales and northwestern parts of England, while the River Thames is predicted to rise to its highest level in more than 60 years in some places.
Police said a man in his 70s died in a suspected electrocution while attempting to move a tree which brought down power cables near Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Major General Patrick Sanders, assistant chief of the defence staff, said troops were providing help with resilience, relief and additional manpower for what he described as an "almost unparalleled" natural crisis.
"There's more that we can do and we want to do more wherever we can make a difference, so please use us, that's what we're here for," he said.
On the day dubbed Wild Wednesday, gusts of 174km/h hit Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula in northwest Wales, while 154km/h winds were recorded off the south coast of England at the Needles, on the Isle of Wight.
Greater Manchester Police used its city centre Twitter account to urge people to stay at home.
"Severe weather warning - do not come into the city centre unless it's absolutely essential, due to strong winds" they tweeted.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the chaos even threatened to derail Britain's economic recovery.
"There's a big human cost here and I absolutely recognise that," he told ITV News.
"Then there's the disruption to economic activity that we see just through transport, but farming clearly will be affected for some time, other businesses.
"It is something that will affect the near time outlook."
The Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents energy companies in the UK, said about 130,000 homes and businesses were without power across the country.
On its Twitter page, the ENA said: "Winds in excess of 100mph (161km/h) have blown trees & debris into powerlines causing significant damage and cutting power to around 130,000 customers."
Road and rail travellers have endured another miserable day with wind and rain closing major routes and wrecking train services.
The adverse weather also brought disruption to English Premier League football fixtures, with Manchester City's match against Sunderland and Everton's clash with Crystal Palace both postponed just an hour before kick-off.
Toby Willison, programme director of the Environment Agency, said a number of rivers in the South East and South West, including areas of the Thames, were at their highest ever recorded levels.
"This is an exceptional event, it was the highest rainfall in January since 1776 and we think it is likely December, January and February will be the highest for 250 years," he said.
The Thames Valley has seen its third wettest winter since 1908, according to the University of Reading's Atmospheric Observatory.
It measured 319.3mm of rain in the region since December 15, compared with an average of 164.4mm for December, January and February.
Prime Minister David Cameron will cut short his attendance at an international conference today to focus on dealing with the flooding.
