‘Tornado-like winds’ smash Naracoorte in state’s South-East as wild weather continues

Naracoorte has been hit by more wild weather, with some locals saying warnings from the BOM came either during the storm – or after.

Naracoorte residents have been struck by another bout of wild weather, as heavy rainfall and “tornado-like winds” battered the town - with some locals saying warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology came during or after the storm.

The SES and Naracoorte CFS responded to six call-outs between 9:30pm and 10pm on Tuesday, relating to the storm.

They responded to two more calls on Wednesday, to assist locals with flooding and storm damage.

It’s the second large storm to hit the town in just over two months, following a “freak” thunderstorm in late November last year that left locals to deal with severe flooding, fallen powerlines and damaged homes and businesses.

But some locals say they weren’t warned in time.

Naracoorte local and meteorology enthusiast Jake Sinclair said he first suspected a storm was brewing when he noticed a “cumuliform anvil brewing” as he left work in the afternoon.

“It developed quite quickly, there was lots of thunder, lightning and wind,” he said.

Storm clouds in Naracoorte on Tuesday. Picture: Jake Sinclair

“Around 8:10pm it just started bucketing down and there were tornado-like winds whipping around the place.

“There was like 40 minutes of straight downpour; five minutes in, the yard looked like it was going to flood.

“We called the CFS just in case – our house is raised off the ground a fair bit, but the water was climbing quite fast.”

He said it appeared “pretty evident” a few hours before the wild weather a storm was going to occur, but said there was no warning from the BOM until after the downpour had passed.

Other locals expressed frustration online that the BOM’s warning of severe weather was ineffective because it was issued during or after the most severe part of the storm.

Flooding inside a Naracoorte some after a wild storm. Source: Supplied

A spokesperson from the Bureau said thunderstorms were forecast for Naracoorte from at least December 29 and possible severe thunderstorms were forecast for the area from December 31.

“Public text forecasts included mention of the potential for severe thunderstorms over the South-East districts in the late afternoon and evening,” the spokesperson said.

The severe thunderstorms were also forecasted on thunderstorm forecast maps, one of which was issued to regional Hazard Management Agencies and was posted on X (formerly Twitter) on January 1, they said.

Jorja Doecke, 19, Naracoorte said her father lost $9000 worth of furniture in the November storm and two rooms in his house in town require new walls and flooring.

“We haven’t been quoted on that cost yet,” Ms Doecke said.

“The rain last night makes it really difficult to fix problems from last time, considering insurance money hasn’t come through and everything is now delayed.

Wild weather in Naracoorte Source: Supplied

 

“We have had a problem with the box gutter for a while, so generally we put a few buckets around the house to catch the water that does leak but this time was just too much too fast.”

The wild weather also affected local businesses, with Naracoorte Betta Home Living flooded.

Store owner Sarah Anderson said there was “a lot of water in the shop” but “fortunately all of the stock fared pretty well”.

“It’s pretty strange actually. We didn’t flood during that massive storm in November but we did last night in weather that we didn’t think was as bad,” Ms Anderson said.

Naracoorte Betta Home Living experienced flooding last night during Naracoorte's wild storm. Picture: Supplied

Naracoorte Betta Home Living experienced flooding last night during Naracoorte's wild storm. Picture: Supplied