Severe thunderstorms will affect parts of Queensland this afternoon, less than 24 hours after powerful winds uprooted trees in the state's southeast. A large pool of warm and moisture-laden air will help fuel thunderstorms across much of Queensland this afternoon. Ample instability and wind shear (change in wind speed and direction with height) in the atmosphere will ensure that some of today's storms become severe. The most likely area for severe thunderstorms today will be from the Central Highlands and Coalfields and Capricornia Districts down to the densely populated South East District. Any storms in this region could produce damaging to destructive winds, large hail and heavy rain. The state's first severe thunderstorm warning for the day was issued at 12:46pm as a mass of storms moved from west to east into the lower Central Highlands and Coalfields District. As the afternoon unfolds, thunderstorms will continue to spread further east and some of today's severe storms may affect areas that are still recovering from wild weather on Sunday night. Powerful winds during an intense storm last night uprooted trees in Dayboro, while more than 70,000 lightning strikes were detected within a 50km radius of Brisbane between 4pm and midnight. The latest severe thunderstorm warnings are available at: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings.jsp