Severe thunderstorms wreaked havoc across South Australia, leaving a trail of damage to homes, disrupting air travel, and plunging thousands of households into darkness.
The extreme weather conditions have caused a series of delays at Adelaide airport, with flights grounded due to safety concerns.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The South Australia Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:
None of the scheduled flights during the early hours were able to take off. It wasn’t until around 8:30 am that planes were given the green light to resume departures, with operations slowly returning to normal as grounded flights were set to be cleared.
Thousands of households were also left without electricity, residents across Adelaide witnessed scores of lightning strikes illuminating the night sky.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Adelaide region, highlighting the risk of intense rainfall leading to potentially dangerous flash flooding.
Senior forecaster Simon Timke from the Bureau of Meteorology noted that a general severe thunderstorm warning was also in place for the Yorke Peninsula, Mid North, Riverland, and Murrayland Districts.
“It’s a busy weather morning, with plenty of showers and thunderstorms around,” Mr Timke said.
Reports from various areas indicated rainfall ranging between 10mm and 20mm, with Brownhill Creek recording a staggering 45.8mm in a single hour by 7:02 am.
“It’s a busy weather morning, with plenty of showers and thunderstorms around. I think they’ll continue on and off during the morning, perhaps easing late morning or in the afternoon, and then clearing late afternoon or evening.”
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.