Update – 8am Saturday:
STATE Emergency service crews are still cleaning up the damaged left by Friday afternoons storms across the New England Region.
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On Saturday morning, Namoi SES Controller Andrew Galvin said the service had received about 89 calls for assistance after strong winds and heavy rain played havoc on homes. Calls were still coming in on Saturday morning.
"The worst hit was Gunnedah," he said.
"We ended up having about 27 jobs out there. One house lost its roof,a couple of trees were down on homes.
"We had wind gusts over there about 95km/h or stornger than that."
Mr Galvin said in the main Tamworth area there were only about two jobs however the outskirts of the city including Hallsville and Moore Creek copped the brunt of the bad weather.
Guyra's Lamb and Potato Festival was also marred by gail force winds with paramedics treating people for injuries after a marquee collapsed and 18 calls for assistance.
Caravans were also damaged, he said.
Mr Galvin said there was a chance of a thunderstorm later in the afternoon, but the probability of rain was lower than it was on Friday.
“But it’s still there,” he said.
More calls for help
The SES says a number of thunderstorms across the northern inland have caused damage in a numerous locations this afternoon.
By 6.30pm, the Namoi SES had received 62 requests for assistance with even more expected as people return home from their days work.
“SES Volunteers were quick to deploy in response to the storm and are working to carry out emergency temporary repairs on roof damaged properties and remove fallen or threatening trees,” Namoi Region Controller Andrew Galvin said.
“Hardest hit this afternoon has been Gunnedah with one house losing nearly all its roof and several large trees falling on other properties.”
Mr Galvin said 20 requests for assistance have been received in Gunnedah with Manilla, Tamworth, Guyra, Inverell, Barraba, Uralla and Walcha also bearing the brunt of the storm.
“Fortunately, the damage in Tamworth occurred mainly on the outskirts of the city sparing Country Music Festival Campers from the worst of the storm,” he said.
Guyra was not as lucky as the storms caused havoc to organisers of the Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival with a large marquee and several other tents brought down in the high winds.
Guyra hit by storm
Strong winds lashed the Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival on Friday afternoon as a wild storm hit the area.
Marquees along the New England Highway were damaged, with one of them ending up on top of the large lamb statue.
UPDATE 5pm:
Toney Baldwin’s house was a disaster zone following Friday afternoon’s storm in Gunnedah.
Water-logged, wrecked and roofless, the Wandobah Road property was ripped to pieces by high winds which locals believed far exceeded the official 95km/h wind gust recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology.
“I’ve been burnt out, flooded out and now this,” remarked a despondent 73-year-old Mr Baldwin.
“I was getting out of my car in the driveway and the whole roof blew off.”
His entire house was flooded by rainwater and nearly every room suffered damage.
The kitchen was strewn with debris as State Emergency Service volunteers worked to tarp the exposed ceiling.
Sharee Bennett lives a few doors down and was in disbelief as the storm thundered past like a freight train.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ms Bennett said.
“When the wind rolled in, we got under the table where we would be safe…. we had to.”
After Mr Baldwin’s roof peeled from its rafters, shocked neighbours watched helplessly as it “cartwheeled” over the fence.
Three large sheets landed in Tony Collins property, narrowly missing his house but crushing his garden shed.
“I saw it lift and twist in the air like it was nothing,” Mr Collins said.
“Thank god it didn’t hit the house.”
Local SES crews were kept busy late Friday responding to more than 50 call-outs in the area.
Power had been restored to most properties except about 50 customers north of Gunnedah and another 50 in the Lake Keepit area.
EARLIER: It was a wild welcome to the weekend in Gunnedah after a powerful storm whipped through parts of town on Friday.
Wind gusts peaked at 95km/h (51 knots) as thunderstorms rolled in from the west about 2pm.
At least on residence on Wandobah Road lost its roof in the gale-force winds which bordered on the Bureau of Meteorology’s definition of “hurricane force wind warning” of 64 knots or more.
Hundreds of homes lost power, most west of Gunnedah. Essential Energy were reporting more 400 customers were still without power in that area at about 4pm.
More than 2,000 homes and business across the New England and North West lost power at the height of the storm including areas in Tamworth.
Gunnnedah Airport recorded 10mm of rain in 30 minutes – the highest rainfall this year.
A large tree which fell across Wandobah Road blocked access near the rugby club for a short while. But clean-up crews were quick to respond and the tree was soon removed.