Normanville, Kingston, Robe jetties wash away as South Australian coastline cops bashing in wild weather, while drought-stricken far north misses out

Jetties across the state have been destroyed and some washed away, wind has ripped roofs off homes and flooding has been reported as wild weather strikes.

• SA’s ‘wettest day in years’

Two jetties in the South-East have been completely destroyed while another on Fleurieu Peninsula has been washed away as South Australia copped a bashing during this week’s wild weather, but the Bureau of Meteorology says some of the state’s drought-stricken areas have largely missed out.

Damaging wind gusts pummelled much of the state with heavy rain and hail falling, with storm damage reported as the cold front smashed the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned people to stay away from coastal areas with “abnormally high” tides on Tuesday.

Damage of the Kingston Jetty after yesterday's storm . Picture: Kingston District Council

Footage shows it being washed away. Picture: Kingston District Council

The Mt Lofty Ranges received the most rainfall, with a gauge at Verdun registering 65mm over the 72-hour period to Wednesday, 35mm of that coming in just 24 hours on Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Aldgate, Longwood and Echunga followed closely behind with 62mm, 61.6mm, and 54mm.

Further south, Mt Gambier received 41mm of rainfall over 72-hours, while Robe and Naracoorte were hit with 29 and 27 millimetres.

At Kingston, the town’s jetty was captured with a large section of the middle of the structure completely washing away.

Facebook user Zac Robertson posted a dramatic video showing high water levels had damaged the jetty as waves rolled over it.

“What’s the jetty doing over there,” a man can be heard to say.

“She’s gone walkabout, mate.”

The Robe jetty also suffered significant storm damage in Tuesday’s wild weather

The District Council of Robe took to Facebook to detail the damage at the seaward end of the structure.

The Robe jetty was damaged during yesterday’s extreme weather event. Picture: Chris Matthews

“This is just one of several coastal assets impacted by the recent surge, with council now working through options in response — both in relation to the jetty itself and the broader implications for our vulnerable coastline,” the council posted on Wednesday.

“As the Robe Jetty is a state government asset, council continues to liaise with relevant authorities and will keep the community informed as more information becomes available.”

Another jetty, on the Fleurieu Peninsula, was also captured on video damaged with much of the structure collapsed.

Tuesday’s damage is a further blow to the Normanville Jetty after it was damaged during a storm in May forcing it to close.

Tuesday’s damage is a further blow to the Normanville Jetty after it was damaged during a storm in May forcing it to close.

A car was captured copping the brunt of the storm near the O'Sullivan Beach boat ramp. Picture: Facebook

In SA’s drought-stricken pastoral areas in the state’s far north, it was another story.

“We didn’t see anything too notable,” a Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said.

Gauges in the mid-north captured some rainfall, with Sevenhill picking up 21.8mm and Eyre Creek receiving 17.6mm.

Over on the Eyre Peninsula, Wudinna picked up 26mm of rain, which a Bureau spokesperson described as a “bit of an outlier”.

The Bureau said there had been reports of higher rainfall on the EP, but none in any of their gauges.

In metropolitan Adelaide, rainfall for the month was at an estimated 69.2mm as of Wednesday morning, just shy of the June average of 72.1mm.

Originally published as Normanville, Kingston, Robe jetties wash away as South Australian coastline cops bashing in wild weather, while drought-stricken far north misses out