Roofs were ripped off houses, trees crashed through homes and cars during Monday night's shock storm which left a path of destruction across the Lower Hunter.
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Wind gusts of up to 146km/h were felt at Nobbys just after 8pm, which Weatherzone said was a spring time record for the area. This quickly dropped to 26km/h by 8.30pm.
SES Hunter spokesperson Alex Varley said the vast majority of the calls they received were tree-related.
"There were a lot of trees down, a lot of trees over roads," she said.
"There were some whole roofs blown off. We're talking quite significant building damage.
"We did have some leaking roofs but most were wind-related."
Ausgrid spokesperson Emma Shanks said about 22,000 people lost power on Monday night, including about 10,000 who were still affected on Tuesday morning. By 2pm, that number had dropped to 4,000 and was at less than 2,000 at 3pm.
She said about 200 hazards had been detected, including trees over power lines, and crews would work with emergency services to rectify those hazards and get the power back on.
"We're hoping to get everyone back on by dinner time," Ms Shanks said.
However, Ms Shanks said a small number of homes may still be without power tonight due to acute damage in some areas.
The University of Newcastle reported that the Callaghan Campus suffered tree and debris damage, and has urged people to use caution and care when attending the campus.
Police said some traffic lights were still out as the clean up continues.
"Do not go near fallen power lines, and if you are driving please be patient on the roads and slow down if you are around intersections where the traffic lights are blacked out or flashing yellow," Newcastle City Police said in a statement."
