Another burst of wild weather has swept across South Australia, bringing flash flooding, destructive winds, hail, and blackouts to large parts of the state.
Key points:
- The storm moves from Whyalla across the Mid North and into the Riverland
- Most of the 120 emergency calls come from the Riverland
- Hail prompts concern about crop damage after storms destroyed yields last week
The worst of the thunderstorms developed around Whyalla before tracking across the state’s Mid North and into the Riverland on Saturday.
The majority of more than 120 calls to the State Emergency Service came from the Riverland.
Large trees toppled in the area, including through the roof of a classroom at Renmark High School.
SES State Duty Officer Tony Costello said three regional hospitals in Berri, Pinnaroo and Jamestown also needed help to mitigate flooding.
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“Three of them have actually had some sort of water entering the building either through the roof or through doors [due to] too much water outside flooding in,” he said.
He said all the SES’s six Riverland units had been deployed to assist through the region.
Renmark wind gusts top 100kph
Bureau of Meteorology Senior Forecaster Tom Boeck said Renmark airport reported wind gusts of more than 100kph.
“There was a report from the Renmark airport automatic weather station of wind gusts of 104kph, certainly, that’s well into the severe range for wind gusts,” Mr Boeck said.
He also said Caltowie in the Mid North had recorded between 25 and 35mm of rain, as well as 23mm in Port Augusta.
Around 2,000 properties in the Mid North and more than 3,000 in the Riverland and Mallee experienced blackouts throughout the afternoon, with some yet to have power restored.
The hail has also prompted concern about crop damage, a week after hailstorms destroyed yields across the state.
