Strong thunderstorms with damaging winds have left a trail of destruction in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

On Tuesday, an intense cold front moved through the country, causing wind gusts of up to 105 kilometres per hour. Warnings were only issued minutes before the storm moved through the city.

At times, in the centre of Montevideo, the rain seemed almost horizontal owing to the force of the winds. Many buildings and cars in the downtown district were damaged by flying debris and downed trees.

Authorities said more than 1,200 distress calls were received by their call centres after the storm passed, causing the dispatch of more than 250 firefighters.

While there were no reported deaths, the storm left 17 people injured and more than 34,000 without power.

The National Institute of Meteorology in Uruguay said storms will remain in the forecast through Thursday, but are not expecting them to be as severe as earlier this week.