Thousands of residents in a small southeast Queensland town are likely to spend the night without power after a severe thunderstorm battered their homes with golf ball-sized hailstones.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicts the storm, which lashed Chinchilla with destructive winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall on Wednesday afternoon, will travel further north to hit central Queensland areas such as Gayndah.
Ergon Energy says 3300 homes in Chinchilla and surrounding areas lost power in the storm and crews had several fallen high-voltage powerlines in the area.
"The best case at this early stage is that power could be restored to the first customers late tonight or early tomorrow morning," an Ergon spokesman said.
He said Ergon's Chinchilla depot had been flooded and part of its roof was torn off in the storm.
BOM has issued storm warnings for much of central Queensland.
They come as emergency services continue the clean-up operation in Fernvale which was hit by a ferocious storm akin to a category three cyclone on Tuesday, wrecking homes and businesses.
Two people were injured and around 200 houses were damaged - including at least 10 left uninhabitable - while hundreds of homes are still without power, Queensland authorities said.
Around 100 crews of fire, SES and local council workers have spent the day clearing fallen trees and debris and assessing the damage in Fernvale.
Bill Rose, owner of the Old Fernvale Bakery, estimates his losses could amount to $100,000.
He said his staff were left "traumatised" by the storm.
Mother Lana Band had feared her family would die when three gum trees crushed the roof of her home.
Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Jo-Ann Miller visited the town to see the aftermath of the fast-moving storm, which will lead to a wave of claims for wind, hail and flood damage.
"It was obviously very frightening for the residents. We've been here as fast possible to get the community here back up on its feet," she said.
Residents affected by the latest severe thunderstorm warnings are advised to monitor the BOM website for updates.
