Roofs were ripped off of homes as a roaring storm battered northern Thailand injuring residents on Saturday.

The fierce winds tore off roof panels from houses amid a torrential downpour in Chiang Mai province on March 18.

Footage shows the raging storm severely reducing visibility while gusts swept up debris into the air.

Resident Ekkarin Jumpamanee said: 'The storm was so brutal that it blew the roofs off of houses. It was like a scene out of a movie.'

Humid temperatures soared to 34 degrees Celsius before the raging downpour lashed homes causing extensive damage in Chiang Mai province shortly after 3:30pm local time on Saturday.

Officials said that at least 12 people were injured across the city when high voltage power lines collapsed, roofs were dislodged and billboards toppled over.

Electricity was lost across more than half of Chiang Mai, the country's second largest city after the capital Bangkok, while dozens of cars were also damaged.

Emergency workers were still working to restore power to some homes and repair damage on Sunday morning, March 19.

Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia are approaching their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms.