Footage shows a damaged roof after severe storms hit northeast Thailand at the weekend.

It came as temperatures soared past 42 degrees Celsius last week during a heat wave across the Asia Pacific region. The warm weather is now giving way to extreme tropical storms.

The high temperatures came during what Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian, described as the 'worst April heatwave in Asian history'.

The Thai Meteorological Department warned that southerly and southeasterly winds prevailing over upper Thailand would strengthen between April 23 and 26.

They said 17 provinces in the Northeast and another five provinces in the East were be affected on Sunday while centre regions would also be hit as the storm moves through the country.

Meanwhile, the moderate high-pressure system from China is expected to extend to the Northeast of Thailand and the South China Sea, leading to hot to very hot weather over the upper regions of the country.

Outbreaks of summer storms, accompanied by thunderstorms, gusty winds, hail, and lightning strikes, are expected to affect the northeastern and eastern parts of the country first, before spreading to other regions.

In Thai capital Bangkok, residents were warned not to go outside amid 42 degrees Celsius temperatures causing power outages due to surging demand from air con units and fans running.

The country's national weather service said the heat index - what the temperature feels like when combined with humidity - hit a record 54C (129F).