An elderly man has been killed as winds of up to 108mph lashed Britain and heavy rain brought more flood misery for parts of the country.
The Met Office issued a "red" weather warning for exceptionally strong winds in western parts of Wales and north-western parts of England, while the Thames was 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.
Gusts of 108mph hit Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula in north-west Wales, while 96mph 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 Ministry of Defence (MoD) said more than 2,000 military personnel were on "high-readiness" to respond to requests in flood-affected areas.
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 have blown trees & debris into powerlines causing significant damage and cutting power to around 130,000 customers."
Electricity North West said about 10,000 customers were without power following the severe weather after "several thousand" had been reconnected.
Scottish Power said 75,000 customers were without power including 52,000 in mid and north Wales, 10,000 in Cheshire, 5,500 in north Shropshire and 2,500 in the Wirral.
Western Power Distribution confirmed 19,000 homes and businesses were off supply in south Wales - down from 42,000 earlier.
A further 13,000 were without power in the West Midlands while another 3,000 in the South West were still affected.
Engineers will continue working through the night while it is safe to do so but some homes may still be without power in the early hours of the morning, a spokeswoman said.
Road and rail travellers have endured another miserable day with wind and rain closing major rtoutes and wrecking train services.
Virgin Trains cancelled some trains from London Euston.
A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called to Crewe train station after roof panels fell on to overhead lines and caused a small fire.
The station was evacuated as a "precaution" and trains were not stopping there, a Network Rail spokeswoman confirmed.
The adverse weather also brought disruption to 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.
A lorry driver was in hospital after high winds blew over his vehicle in Bristol, while another man received treatment after becoming trapped under a fallen tree in Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon.
Toby Willison, programme director, 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 12.5ins ( 319.3mm) of rain in the region since December 15 - compared with an average of 6.4ins (164.4mm) for December, January and February.
A new Cabinet committee on flood recovery will also meet today, replacing a scheduled meeting of the full Cabinet.
Prime Minister Cameron, who chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee in 10 Downing Street, promised yesterday that "money is no object" in offering relief to those affected by the floods.
But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin indicated that there would be "careful consideration" before money is spent on the larger rebuilding exercise of restoring damaged infrastructure after water levels recede.