Hailstones the size of tennis balls have battered parts of Queensland as the state braces for more tornado events.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned of “very dangerous thunderstorms” bringing hail and destructive winds on Thursday, with storms expected to continue over coming days.

Two women – one in her 70s and another in her 20s – as well as baby girl, suffered multiple cuts when tennis ball-sized hail hit their car as they were driving on the D’Aguilar Highway between Kingaroy and Nanango about 1pm.

There were also reports of a tornado touching down near Tansey west of Gympie in the early afternoon, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a tornado warning for much of Thursday afternoon.

Kumbia, near Kingaroy in the South Burnet, was battered about 12pm with hail up to 7cm wide.

“Which is huge,” Weatherzone meteorologist Craig McIntosh told The New Daily.

“We’ve seen giant hail.”

Go to BOM for the latest

Hail was between 4-5cm in Proston and Murgon, and 3-5cm around Gympie.

Queensland’s State Emergency Service had received hundreds of calls for help through the day.

BOM said the storms had wreaked “vast property and vegetation damage” in areas.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were in place for people in Wide Bay and Burnett, parts of Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia, Maranoa and Warrego, Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast districts.

Destructive wind gusts of more than 125km/h were expected to hit.

Damaging gusts close to 90km/h were recorded by about 2pm.

“They could strengthen over the next little while,” Mr McIntosh said.

The thunderstorm also came with localised rain for parts of the state.

The heaviest was in Dalby, an hour from Toowoomba, which received almost 30mm of rain within three hours by early Thursday afternoon.

Forecast

Mr McIntosh said thunderstorms would continue on Friday, most likely concentrated away from the coast.

The far southeast is expected to be “a bit safer” on Friday with a reprieve from thunderstorms.

Chris Evans takes a tour of his property just outside of Gympie following this afternoon's severe thunderstorms

"I am OK but the house has a bit of water through it due to broken skylight."

📹: Chris Evans#Qldweather @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/PKpwa7jTFd

— ABC Brisbane (@abcbrisbane) October 11, 2018

Showers are expected to continue and more severe storms could return to the coast from Saturday.

“There’s very unstable weather for at least the coming few days for southeast Queensland,” Mr McIntosh said.

“Brisbane could still get a storm on Saturday, probably just showers [on Friday.”

The forecaster said the storm was “quite changeable”.

“Thunderstorms could still pop up.”

He expected another reprieve on Monday before the storms return again on Tuesday.

This is what it was like in Chinchilla during the height of today's severe thunderstorm

📹: Kitt#Qldweather @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/Mc8T34SMHh

— ABC Brisbane (@abcbrisbane) October 11, 2018

Earlier in the week, Planning Minister Cameron Dick urged Queenslanders to get ready for the storm season.

“As Queenslanders, we are all too familiar with natural disasters and it is often not a matter of ‘if’ but when disaster strikes,” Mr Dick said in a statement on Tuesday.

He said residents should remove hazards from their property and secure loose items, create an emergency contact list, buy supplies and check in with neighbours.

Brisbane is expected to reach 20 degrees on Friday and 19 degrees on Saturday. Sunday is forecast to hit 22 degrees.

For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

#Gympie radar working hard today tracking two very dangerous storms which have produced a tornado, destructive winds and abundant large hail. Warnings continuing for these and other storms. #qldstorm Radar loop here –https://t.co/7q1016iUDk pic.twitter.com/74JoTsG7TA

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) October 11, 2018