A powerful summer storm battered homes in northeast Thailand.

Footage shows the heavy downpour pummeling cars along Mittraphap Road in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province, on March 3.

Drivers were forced to stop on the roadside as howling winds whipped rain onto their windscreens and obscured visibility.

The gales also toppled trees and knocked down dozens of power poles, triggering an electric outage in parts of the province.

A driver named Songyot Kruaysawat said: 'I was returning from my grandmother's house with my wife when the storm hit. The winds were so strong that they toppled a tree in front of me. I could barely see through the rain but luckily, I was able to stop in time.'

The Thai Meteorological Department today issued a summer storm warning for much of Thailand over the next few days.

It warned of gusty winds and thunderstorms across the north, northeast, east, and central regions including the capital Bangkok.

The agency said the weather conditions are caused by a strong high-pressure system covering northeast Thailand and the South China Sea.