Damaging conditions are expected to ease after days of wild weather, but the risk of severe thunderstorms remains.

Residents of Queensland’s Wide Bay and surrounding rural areas have been put on alert due to the risk of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and large hail on Saturday.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines said persistent storms and showers were expected across the rest of Australia’s east coast over the weekend.

“The storm threat has reduced for the most affected areas,” he said.

“As for the storm activity expected on Saturday, there is still a risk overall in some parts of eastern and inland Queensland, but it is not expected to be as active or as widespread as Friday’s storms.”

A dangerous surf warning remained in effect for parts of the New South Wales coast and there was a risk of severe thunderstorms for parts of Queensland.

“Should severe storms develop in these areas, damaging wind gusts and large hail are likely on Saturday,” he said.

Western New South Wales, central Victoria and South Australia have been hit by damaging winds, heavy rain and large hailstones in recent days.

The storms triggered severe weather warnings, led to power outages and hundreds of calls to state emergency services.

Late on Friday, BoM warned that severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts would continue into the evening in parts of eastern New South Wales.

Residents were told to transport their cars covered, secure loose items around their homes and stay away from streams and storm drains.

Hines said more than 500,000 lightning strikes had been reported across the country, with the vast majority in New South Wales and Victoria.

“Thunderstorms brought short but heavy rainfall in many places on Friday,” he said. “Heavy rain hit Geelong in Victoria, where 69mm of rain fell throughout the day, but also 50mm in 45 minutes as a severe thunderstorm passed directly overhead.”

Extensive damage to transmission towers between Buronga and Broken Hill in western New South Wales left more than 1,600 people temporarily without power, with some temporarily connected to emergency generators.

Crowds heading to the MotoGP race at Phillip Island, southeast of Melbourne, have been told to reconsider their trip due to the rough conditions.

Before conditions calm, showers would develop from eastern Queensland to the Kimberley on Saturday afternoon, said bureau senior meteorologist Sarah Scully.

It should be quieter and sunnier on Sunday afternoon.