An extreme storm has slammed South Australia with lashing rain, hail and winds of up to 106km/hour — leaving 80,000 customers without power — as the BOM issued fresh warnings for NSW and Victoria.
More than 423,000 lightning strikes were recorded as the wild weather brought down trees and powerlines on Saturday afternoon, with the worst hit areas around the Adelaide Hills and southern suburbs.
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There were some reports of what appeared to be a “mini cyclone” as trees were whipped by the winds.
SA Power Networks said it could take up to 48 hours to repair the damage and restore supply to customers across the state.
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Joe Szakacs MP tweeted that the SES had received 1293 calls for help after South Australia was hit by a “barrage of wind and rain”.
The Bureau of Meteorology had issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Saturday afternoon for Adelaide, the Barossa and parts of the Adelaide Hills.
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NSW and Vic warnings
Meanwhile, the weather bureau issued a warning very early on Sunday for a “line of thunderstorms” in inland NSW, but later downgraded the threat level.
The severe storms were initially expected to produce damaging winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over several hours on Sunday morning.
Locations included Yass, Dubbo, Parkes, Wagga Wagga, Bourke and Brewarrina.
At 6.43am the BOM stated that the immediate threat of severe thunderstorms had passed, but further warnings would be issued if necessary.
Victorian communities are also bracing for another potential flood emergency.
The southern state’s northeast is expected to face the brunt of the threat on Sunday, with damaging winds and widespread showers and storms which are likely to cause moderate to major flooding.
Up to 90 millimetres of rain is forecast for some areas.
Heavy rain and large hailstones are also a possibility for the rest of Victoria, with parts of Melbourne and riverine communities at risk of flash flooding.
More than 50 emergency alerts are in place, with a major flood warning still active for the Murray River.
It’s feared water could rise to about the same level as the devastating 1975 floods in low-lying areas along the river such as Mildura, Robinvale, Boundary Bend and Wakool Junction.
Cooler air will start to extend across Victoria into next week, leading to colder temperatures in Melbourne and snow returning to some of the state’s alpine peaks.
Forecasters expect above average rainfall in Victoria to persist for another six to eight weeks.
A watch and act alert has also been issued for Upper River Murray in South Australia.
Flows beyond the border with NSW and Victoria are at 92.5 gigalitres a day and expected to reach 165GL per day by December.
Authorities say there’s a risk the volume of water will reach 220GL a day, which would pose a threat to public safety.
Aerial missions to trapped residents
In New South Wales, aerial missions are being conducted to resupply isolated communities in the western region.
SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said the situation was complex and evolving for towns like Collarenebri, Walgett, Lightning Ridge, Goodooga, Brewarrina and parts of Bourke.
“The size of the area is about 40,000 square kilometres — more than half the size of Tasmania,” she said on Saturday.
“Roads have intermittently been cut for several weeks, with re-supply missions needing to take place by airplane to regional depots before being loaded onto helicopters and finally transported by vehicles and boats.”
Rural residents have been cut off by flooded roads in NSW. Photo: AAP
With further flooding expected, regular missions are being flown to get essential food, medicines and mail to around 5000 stranded residents.
“As the flood water recedes we hope access will improve, however if people are in need of re-supply they should get in touch with the NSW SES,” she said.
Volunteers have also been doorknocking, sandbagging and conducting flood rescues in central western Condobolin as flooding persists on the Lachlan River.
Ms Hogan said conditions were likely to decline over the coming 48 hours, with heavy rain and severe storms to trigger further inundation and dangerous flash flooding.
She said the SES had performed five rescues and received 145 requests for help in the 24 hours to Saturday morning.
Major flood warnings are active across NSW for the Barwon, Darling, Macquarie, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Murray, Bogan, Namoi, Narran and Culgoa rivers.
More than 90 hazard alerts are current, with evacuation orders in place for Condobolin, Collarenebri in the northwest and the Alice Edwards Village at far western Bourke.
-with AAP
