Roads were closed, buildings damaged, bridges shut and train lines affected after a night of atrocious weather that saw widespread flooding, flying debris closing streets and people evacuated.

Around 18,000 homes in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Argyll were without power.

ScottishPower said it was hoping engineers would be able to resolve the problem this afternoon.

A train driver was injured after his locomotive hit a tree and a man was rescued after his car plunged into the Firth of Clyde.

More than a fifth of the average monthly rainfall fell in just 12 hours in Glasgow as gusts hit 75mph at their 4am peak. From 6pm, 20mm fell. The average January rainfall is 97mm.

After a torrential night, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue received 180 calls and attended 144 incidents.

The wind blew down the centrepiece of Glasgow City Council's Christmas display when its 60ft tree toppled.

The tree was due to come down today to be transformed into the tallest ornamental caber in the world and donated to New York as a sign of friendship.

In the East End, residents were being warned to stay well away from their windows after a section of the roof of the Great Eastern Hotel, in Duke Street, was blown off.

Residents were not being evacuated, but a police spokesman said: "Duke Street and surrounding areas have been closed.

"We are advising people in Drygate and Hunter Street areas to stay clear of their windows as debris has fallen on to roads and pavements."

Wooden fences at Buchanan Galleries, which had recently been put up while renovation work is carried out, were also blown down.

One man was lucky to be alive after fire crews dragged him out of his car, which had plunged into water off Largs, Ayrshire.

The alarm was raised around 11.30pm with reports of a car careering into the water off Greenock Road, which was then closed between Largs and Skelmorlie.

Fire crews launched their water rescue craft and waded in to rescue the 34-year-old, who was in the freezing water for 10 minutes. He was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Also in Ayrshire, a train driver was taken to Ayr Hospital after his locomotive struck a tree in the early hours.

It was travelling between Kilmarnock and New Cumnock at 3.45am when it struck a tree that had blown on the line.

It smashed through the windshield. He was showered with glass and managed to stop the train 200 yards away.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said the driver was taken for a check-up and he suffered minor injuries.

Five lorries overturned on the M74 between Larkhall and Wellburn, Lanarkshire, in the early hours.

Limits of 30mph were then put in place.

Roads were closed in Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock due to structural damage of buildings or after debris crashed on to streets.

The Erskine Bridge was likely to remain closed for most of the morning.

Businesses and shops in Paisley town centre were virtually inaccessible after a police cordon was put up in the High Street.

From the Regal Bingo at one end to Bar Varsova a few blocks down, the street was considered unsafe due to fallen debris.

Nearby New Street, Storie Street, Causeyside Street and Wellmeadow Street were also affected.

In Greenock, four people were evacuated from the top floor flat of a five-storey building in Campbell Street after part of a gable end gave way around 4am.

A tree blocked Mearns Road in Newton Mearns and a lorry that swerved to avoid it hit power lines.

Rachel Vince, forecaster with the MeteoGroup UK, said: "Gusts will be at their peak again around midday."

CHAOS ON THE MOVE By Marianne Taylor THE stormy weather caused transport chaos throughout the West of Scotland today. Trains, buses, ferries and flights were all disrupted as winds gusted up to 90mph. Fallen trees and overhead wire damage worsened problems caused by major rail engineering works at Shields Junction. Services had been due to get back to normal by tomorrow, but thanks to last night's bad weather the misery is likely to continue for longer. Overturned lorries and debris closed roads and caused major headaches for drivers. Six flights between Glasgow and London were grounded as a precaution. And passengers flying in from Toronto were stuck on the tarmac at Glasgow for more than five hours after floodlights and steps were damaged. Overall, the situation facing travellers was grim: ON THE RAILWAYS Services in and out of Paisley Gilmour Street were reduced, and there were also speed restrictions, delays and cancellations. There were restricted services between Paisley Gilmour Street and Wemyss Bay, Ardrossan, Gourock and Kilwinning due to overhead line damage. No service ran from Kilwinning to Largs. No services were running between Balloch and Dumbarton due to fallen debris. The service between Glasgow and Edinburgh was down to every half-hour. Some platforms at Waverley were closed due to fallen debris. Only one train per hour was running between Paisley Canal and Dumbreck. ON THE ROADS Duke Street in Glasgow's East End was shut due to fallen debris. There was major disruption around Paisley town centre after the High Street was cordoned off. Part of the M74 was blocked by overturned lorries near Abington. The Erskine Bridge was closed, as was the A78 between Largs and Skermorlie. In Glasgow, Aikenhead Road was closed both ways at Calder Street, and North Canal Bank Street were closed between Craighall Road junction and the Borron Street junction. Cardwell Road in Greenock was shut at Tarbet Street The A71 in Overtown was closed due to flooding. The B769 Stewarton to Newton Mearns road had restricted access due to a fallen tree. There were lane restrictions on the M8 at Arkleston. Traffic lights were out at St Vincent Street/West Nile Street, and St George's Road at Charing Cross. Kilmardinny Avenue in Bearsden was blocked both ways because of a fallen tree. ON THE BUSES First Bus say only a small number of services were affected, including the 40, 41 and 89, which were being diverted due to to the Duke Street closure. Diversions were being reassessed during the day. ON THE FERRIES High winds meant major disruption on many journeys. The advice was to check in advance with operators. IN THE AIR Three BA flights from London to Glasgow were cancelled, along with another three from Glasgow to London. Around 300 people on an Air Transat flight from Canada couldn't leave the plane after they landed at Glasgow at 6am. The winds had damaged floodlights, and also steps used to unload passengers. As it was deemed unsafe to take passengers off, they were stuck in their seats until 11am. Furious relatives waiting in the terminal claimed they were given no reason for the delay, and police were called in to calm the situation. Transport operators said they were doing everything possible to keep the network up and running. A spokeswoman for First ScotRail said: "We have had our emergency teams out from the very early hours of the morning checking for problems. However, the atrocious weather conditions meant the situation was very fluid, so unfortunately passengers have experienced delays and cancellations. "We must apologise to our customers." She also advised passengers travelling today to either check the First website at www.firstgroup.com/scotrail for details or call national rail inquiries on 08457 484950.