State Emergency Crews (SES) spent much of Sunday cleaning up after an onslaught of strong winds and heavy downpours between 6pm and midnight Saturday. 

SES deputy region controller Heath Stimson said Inverell was the worst hit of the region’s towns, with 50 call-outs for wind and water-related damage. 

Most incidents involved uprooted trees falling on roads and rooves. 

SES crews also responded to 20 jobs in Tamworth, six in Armidale, a handful in Gunnedah and one in Glen Innes for similar incidents.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Tamworth region on Saturday night, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall expected to cause flash flooding.

A BOM spokesman told The Leader Tamworth recorded 20mm of rain in the 24 hours from Saturday morning, but winds only reached speeds of 50km/h.

“It was a very quick-moving storm,” he said.

“West-south-westerly winds hit between 7.15pm and 8.15pm moving towards the north east.”

The thunderstorm also produced a significant amount of lightning between 6pm and midnight. 

While it made for an impressive light show across parts of Tamworth, it is believed to have sparked several grass fires around the Gunnedah region.

A bushfire on Orange Grove Road broke out on Saturday afternoon, but an RFS spokesman confirmed no investigation into the cause was being undertaken.

Other fires around the area included a grass fire on Kelvin Road, which tore through 275 hectares, and another grass fire on the Kamilaroi Highway at Emerald Hill.

A small bushfire also broke out on Scratch Road near Narrabri, but it was contained to 58 hectares on Sunday morning. 

Temperatures are forecast to remain cooler throughout the week, with the mercury hitting a top of 29 degrees in Tamworth on Monday and 32 on Tuesday.

Rain is forecast for later in the week.