SA winter turns wet and cold despite Bureau's warm forecast

South Australia has recorded its wettest event this year, defying experts' predictions of an unusually warm winter.

South Australia has shivered through its wettest event this year, despite expert predictions of an unusually warm winter.

Weekend rainfall delivered the state’s most significant falls of the year with stations in every forecast district getting more than 20mm.

The Bureau of Meteorology previously forecast a warmer than average winter in their long-range forecast for July to September.

This outlook was supported by The Advertiser’s resident weather watcher Darren Ray who predicted that winter temperatures would be “in the high-teens rather than the mid-teens” in May.

First falls at Morialta Conservation Park is flowing after heavy rain. Lily and her mum Eileen McNeill visiting from Leicestershire in the UK. Picture: Brett Hartwig

However South Aussies are now bracing for “pretty chilly temperatures” over the next week with temperatures in the mid-teens forecast for Adelaide with cloudy conditions, light winds and rainfall.

“Most of the state will be anywhere between two and eight degrees below average for a few days this week,” Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.

“So don’t anticipate any warm days – at least not for the next five or six days.”

The past 18-months have been “extremely dry” in South Australia with the recent rain bomb “a good step in the right direction” to break ongoing drought conditions.

“It was the best rain in some time and for many places the best rain of the year so far,” Mr Hines said.

“It’s been extremely dry over the last 18 months from the start of 2024 until now so the rain that did fall was very welcome and much needed.

“It was one really good soak of rainfall, but we’re going to need several similar weather systems to bring more rain to catch up on all that rain that’s been missed.”

Parts of the Mount Lofty Ranges soaked up more than 100mm of rain between Friday and Sunday with Piccadilly receiving 112mm and Mount Lofty itself recording 82mm.

Over that same period, Adelaide recorded 58mm, while the York Peninsula saw some of the state’s biggest totals, with Caramula receiving 58.8mm.

The wet weather did little to deter footballers on the weekend with many clubs playing on despite pouring rain and muddy fields.

Players from Kilburn Football Club’s women’s team celebrated their 95-point win over O’Sullivan Beach-Lonsdale Football Club with a swim in the pool-like puddles.

The rains also brought the first falls at Morialta Conservation Park, attracting dozens of visitors including Lily and Eileen McNeillm from Leicestershire.

Kilburn Football Club players celebrate their win in the mud on the weekend. Picture: Donna Whelan / Kilburn Football Club

The Onkaparinga Valley Football Club players after the game on the weekend. Picture: The Onkaparinga Valley Football Club

Happy Valley Vikings football players on the weekend. Picture: Kiara Upitis

Walkerville Netball Club at Netball SA Stadium. Picture: Alicia Stone

The rainfall was thanks to a large weather system which swept across the southern half of the country last week, starting in the west around Thursday, Mr Hines said.

Following the wet weather, more than 8500 homes were left without power on Sunday afternoon in Adelaide suburbs including Norwood, Toorak Gardens, Hackney and Glenside.

Despite the past two winters lacking any “inspiring” rain events, winter is typically the time for “good rainfall” in South Australia.

5-10mm of rain are expected by Wednesday, with the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas, and Adelaide’s north, expected to receive the most rain.

Originally published as SA winter turns wet and cold despite Bureau's warm forecast