The wild weather saw more than 100 millimetres of rain fall in one hour, destructive wind gusts lash the coast and large hailstones blanket the region, with thousands still without power long after the storms had passed.

The Sunshine Coast was well and truly hammered by the severe storm cells on Saturday, with the full extent of the damage clear the following morning.

The Irwin family closed their zoo on Sunday during the clean-up process, with Australia Zoo saying the decision "was not made lightly" but the safety of animals, guests and staff took priority.

All animals were safely enclosed during the storm and the zoo was expected to reopen on Monday.

Meanwhile, Sunshine Coast line trains were suspended in both directions between Caboolture and Gympie North stations on Sunday morning due to storm damage to the overhead lines and tracks.

Buses were replacing affected services and Queensland Rail workers were repairing the damage.

The State Emergency Service was kept busy overnight having received 156 calls for help. The majority of those were on the Sunshine Coast and mostly for minor damage.

However, the most serious callout was to Landsborough Pines Caravan Park where trees came crashing down on top of a caravan and two cars, displacing about a dozen people, according to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service.

WOW! Insane video from the Buderim Tavern last night as damaging winds and heavy rain lashed the area. This "may" be associated with the microburst as the cell moved North-East from Landsborough! Video sent in via Andrew MilnePosted by Higgins Storm Chasing on Saturday, 9 December 2017

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Andrew Bufalino said the Sunshine Coast copped the heaviest drenching with Bli Bli recording 118mm in an hour and Tanawha saw 87mm fall in the same period.

Meanwhile, hail three to four centimetres in diameter fell at Mount Tamborine in the Scenic Rim region, with two to three-centimetre stones also falling in nearby Canungra and hail the size of five-cent coins being found at Movie World.

It's looking like a winter wonderland on the Gold Coast.Posted by 9 News on Saturday, 9 December 2017

Mr Bufalino also said damaging wind gusts were recorded at Double Island Point, north of the Sunshine Coast, with the strongest gale registering as 113km/h just before 9pm.

According to Energex, about 18,000 homes were without power after the wild weather, but this was down to less than 3000 by Sunday afternoon.

Mr Bufalino said storms were expected to return to the state on Sunday, but would mainly affect the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia as well as the Wide Bay and Burnett regions.

However, the storms were not forecast to be as severe as those seen in the south-east on Saturday.

Looking ahead, conditions were expected to stabilise, with the odd chance of showers throughout next week, according to Mr Bufalino.

With AAP