About 20,000 customers were without electricity and the State Emergency Service has received almost 400 calls for help as South Australia was hit with wind gusts of up to 110 km/h.

Sustained northerly winds of up to 65 km/h with gusts reaching 110 km/h preceded a cold front which arrived in Adelaide about 2pm (CDT) on Monday and was expected to clear the state’s southeast by midnight.

Victoria is also bracing for wild weather, as a strong cold front crosses southeastern Australia.

State Emergency Service duty officer Ian Bonython said about 375 calls for help were received by 7.30pm.

Most calls were for trees falling onto roads and property but there were no reports of significant damage.

Torrensville, South Australia. Photo: Tom Koutsantonis / Twitter

Areas hardest hit included metropolitan Adelaide and the Adelaide hills. The SES started receiving calls for help about 11am, peaking between 1pm and 3pm.

SA Power Networks spokesman Paul Roberts said that 20,000 customers lost electricity, with most in Adelaide’s northeast and in the Mount Lofty Ranges.

By Monday evening this dropped to 2000 customers and most homes were expected to have power returned overnight.

“We have doubled our available number of (repair) crews. We have focused on being prepared and we will have additional crews out in the metropolitan area and right across the state,” he told AAP.

The organisers of the popular three-day Asiafest food and cultural festival in Adelaide have announced on Twitter that the final day of events has been cancelled because of the severe weather.