Adelaide weather: Rain bomb heads to SA after South-East smashed by wild storm

Stormy weather has pummelled parts of South Australia, with Adelaide in the firing line on Tuesday morning, with heavy rain, lightning and thunder forecast.

Stormy weather has pummelled parts of South Australia, with Adelaide in the firing line on Tuesday morning.

Thousands of households are without power as heavy rain, lightning and thunder smash Adelaide.

Thunderstorms will continue in the city on Tuesday with rain expected to pick up to a forecast 20mm before clearing in the afternoon.

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Overnight and on Monday evening, large hailstones, damaging winds and heavy rainfall prompted dozens of call-outs from the State Emergency Service.

The storm swept through the state’s mid-north just after 4pm as the Bureau of Meteorology issued the alert.

HAPPENING NOW: Parts of the state are being smashed by storms including at Pandurra near Port Augusta. A severe thunderstorm warning for hailstones, heavy rain and damaging winds has been issued for areas including the eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Flinders. #7NEWSpic.twitter.com/Kjlj6k4Ncy

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) November 27, 2023

Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Jamestown, Peterborough and Olary were caught on the path of Monday’s storm.

Bartender Louise Arthur from the North Star Hotel in Melrose said it had been warm and sunny all day. Until the storm appeared on the horizon.

“At 3:45pm I saw a black cloud and I took a photo of it and sent it to my family,” she said.

“Within the span of ten minutes, it went from 29 degrees to sudden hail.

“It started raining, there was rain inside the pub.

“The deck was covered in hail. By 3:55pm I couldn’t even see the end of the street.

“The hail came down but because the ground is warm, the hail just melted. So it looks like a white fog covering the ground, the whole town is white.”

Anita Reed, relief manager of Melrose Caravan and Tourist Park, said “it hailed like we’ve never seen before.”

“It’s a winter white wonderland.”

Willochra Creek, which runs through the caravan park has even started flowing again.

A 'snow man' at Melrose after a hail storm swept across the Flinders town. Picture: Andrew Walter

Melrose locals said the town looked like a winter wonderland. Picture: Supplied

“It’s usually dry in November,” Ms Reed said

It comes after more than 70mm was dumped on the town of Naracoote in the state’s South-East on the weekend in a savage storm that damaged hospitals and flooded homes and businesses.

Weather damage at Wild Game Wine, Naracoorte Picture: Facebook

However, the rain threatening Adelaide early this week is not expected to hit the South-East with only a shower or two and under 3mm predicted for Naracoorte on Tuesday.

Last week, Adelaide recorded its wettest day since June on Thursday when steady rain fell for much of the day and into the night.

The Bureau of Meteorology West Tce rain gauge recorded 22.8mm of rain in the 24 hours until 9am on Friday. It was the wettest 24 hours in the city since 41.6mm fell on June 23.

Adelaide details for the next six days:

Tuesday, November 28: Mostly cloudy. Showers, heavy at times. SE/SW winds Min – 12. Max – 21.

Wednesday, November 29: Mostly sunny. SW winds Min – 14. Max – 23.

Thursday, November 30: Mostly sunny. SE/SW winds Min – 13. Max – 25.

Friday, December 1: Mostly sunny. SE/SW winds Min – 13. Max – 25.

Saturday, December 2: Mostly cloudy. S’ly winds Min – 13. Max – 25.

Sunday, December 3: Mostly sunny. SE winds Min – 12. Max – 26.