This is the terrifying moment restaurant staff clung to awnings blown by a strong wind.

Tonaor Ralintaphon Pukdeerod and her friends were having dinner when the gusts battered the open-air eatery in Chonburi, Thailand, on September 16.

Footage shows men holding onto the anchor bars of the overhangs to prevent them from hitting the furniture and harming customers.

Other employees can be seen telling diners to move away from the cover and relocate to a different table.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are at the start of their annual monsoon season, which brings soaring temperatures followed by powerful rainstorms. The rudimentary infrastructure often struggles with the deluge, leading to widespread flash floods.