Australia low pressure chart
© BOMThis is the monster low pressure system barrelling towards southeast Australia.

South Australia is bracing for a second day of severe weather with heavy rain and destructive winds to lash large parts of the state.

An intense lower pressure system will continue to move across SA after super cell thunderstorms brought down the entire power network overnight. The winds ripped at least 22 transmission towers from the ground across the mid-north with about 80,000 lightning strikes hitting the state, some damaging generation facilities.

That caused automatic emergency systems to cut power across South Australia with SA Power Networks reporting 200,000 customers were left without electricity. Heading into Thursday most of the Adelaide metropolitan area had power restored with only the northern parts of the state and the Eyre Peninsula likely to still be without services.

Senator Nick Xenophon described the power outage that affected the state as a "disgrace" and suggested it could be due to the state's reliance on renewable energy.

"This is a disgrace. How did this happen? How is an entire state blacked out?" the South Australian senator told the ABC.

"The generators don't work when the wind is blowing too hard. This is one of the great paradoxes in relation to this."


The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the wild weather still to come could produce wind gusts of up to 140km/h, especially along the west coast of Eyre Peninsula and up to 100mm of rain across the Adelaide Hills, bringing the risk of flooding.

A flood warning was also issued for Port Pirie, north of Adelaide, because of a storm surge and high waves.

The State Emergency Service responded to more than 450 calls for help on Wednesday and chief officer Chris Beattie said the wild weather would continue for at least another day.

"There's still the potential for significant severe weather damage," he said. "We do have concerns for the coastal defences."

The SES has brought in strike teams from Western Australia to bolster local crews.

Senator Xenophon called for an independent inquiry into what he described as an event "unprecedented in this nation".

"We need a full independent inquiry. What I'm worried about now is that there are many vulnerable people in my home state that are at real risk of their health so we need to deal with that — this is an emergency."

Now the strong wind-sheer that marks the advancing front of the storm has crossed into NSW and Victoria.

But, as power begins to be restored to SA, the Bureau of Meterology has issued an urgent warning.

Winds of up to 140hm/h are expected to arrive overnight. Adelaide Metropolitan, Mount Lofty Ranges, West Coast, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Flinders, Mid North, Riverland, Murraylands, North West Pastoral and North East Pastoral districts have all been placed on alert.


South Australia

Damaged high-voltage towers near the mid-north district centre of Port Augusta are believed to have triggering a cascading power failure across the whole of the state.

Earlier in the day The Advertiser reported that State's Premier, Jay Weatherill, was advising that there was 'no predicted duration' for the blackout but that it was likely to be an 'extended period'.

"The system protects itself and protects the assets by closing down because of the sudden surge in the system," the Premier said.

"It then triggers a protocol about how we bring it back up. There are a series of back-up generators which gradually re-power the system.

"Once the system is balanced then power is restored."

windmap


It took some four hours before power began to be restored. Exactly how long it would take to reconnect all towns and suburbs was unknown, but was said to likely extend into Thursday.

The SA Power Network confirmed the state-wide extent of the outage via social media posts.

The Advertiser reports that the airport was without power for several hours until emergency generators were brought online. Hospitals remained open using their own emergency systerms.

Photos shared on social media showed chaos on the streets as drivers tried to negotiate intersections with lights out.

The public rail system was shut down and there were reports of poeple being stuck in lifts.

But regional centers were also hard hit by the weather, including the town of Blyth.


South Australia has experienced some of the wildest weather seen in decades.

The Bureau of Meteorology reported a thunderstorm moving through Adelaide has included damaging wind gusts of 90-100km/h.

Further damaging storms are expected to lash the state overnight.


The bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning for an area stretching from Victor Harbor, south of Adelaide, to Marree.

It said super cells within those storms could produce wind gusts of up to 140km/h along with heavy rain that could cause flash flooding. The major centres to feel the impact of the storms included Adelaide, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Hawker, Port Pirie, Clare, Roxby Downs and Leigh Creek. The extreme weather reached the city around midday and was expected to dump up to 100mm of rain in some areas, including the Adelaide Hills, where a flood warning was in place.


The weather came from an unusually deep low pressure system forecast to move up over Kangaroo Island and into the Adelaide area this evening.

"This depth of low, this close to the coast, is very damaging," the Bureau of Meteorology SA's director John Nairn said.


"It's a very significant event for South Australia. It's very rare."

State Emergency Services have distributed scores of sand bags across both metropolitan and regional areas in preparation for likely flooding.

SES chief officer Chris Beattie said power lines will undoubtedly fall and there may be long outages for homes and businesses.


A severe weather warning is still in effect for damaging winds for people in the West Coast and parts of the Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula and North West Pastoral districts.

Strong to gale force west to south-westerly winds, averaging 50-65km/h with gusts around 90-100km/h, are expected to develop behind the front. These winds may cause damage to trees and property.

Following the front, an intense low pressure system will move across the Bight towards the SA coast with strong to gale-force winds impacting western parts.

Victoria

Trees were blown down and there were reports of some flooding in Mildura as strong winds from the storm that monstered South Australia entered Victoria about 10pm on Wednesday.

State Control Centre duty officer Brad Dalgleish said the winds were expected to strike Melbourne about midnight.

Heavy rain would follow for the next two days and emergency services would closely monitor North East and North West Victoria still swamped by recent floods.

Last night he said, "We are seeing winds around 70 km/h around the Grampians."

Melbourne was expected to get winds about half that speed, but gusts of up to 110 km/h were expected in high places such as Mt Buller.

The wind probably wouldn't drop until 6am.

"We are not expecting that it's going to be as extreme as what's happened in South Australia," he said.

But he urged residents to be prepared and be vigilant. It comes as flooded parts of northern Victoria could see more stream rises with heavy rain forecast today and tomorrow.

A severe weather warning is in place for large parts of the state, with a moderate flood warning also posted for the Loddon River.

"Most of the west and central parts of the state will see rainfall and that will continue into Thursday," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Beren Bradshaw told AAP.

A band of bad weather is moving across from South Australia and the rain will start to hit northern Victoria this afternoon.


"There's a good chance that we will see renewed stream rises," Ms Bradshaw said.

Residents have been warned to watch out for heavy rain leading to flash flooding across the Mallee and Wimmera districts, with rainfall totals of 10mm to 25mm likely.

A severe weather warning is current for damaging winds and heavy rainfall for people in the Central, Mallee, South West, Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and parts of the North East Forecast Districts.

Damaging winds, averaging 50-60km/h with peak gusts of around 100km/h are expected to develop across western districts late today with gusts reaching 110km/h in elevated areas and with thunderstorms.

These winds are expected to extend eastwards to central districts tomorrow early morning.


Heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding is likely to develop across the Mallee and Wimmera districts tonight, extending to the southwest and central districts, and parts of the northeast district tomorrow morning.

Rainfall totals of 10-25 mm are likely across these districts with isolated totals of 50mm possible, and are likely to fall within a six to nine-hour period.

Thunderstorms may also result in locally higher falls.

Locations which may be affected include Mildura, Horsham, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Shepparton, Seymour, Maryborough, Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne and Wangaratta.

New South Wales

Trucks carrying at least 50,000 sandbags have reached two NSW central west towns amid predictions they will be hit by separate flood peaks at the same time next week.

The already-ravaged town of Forbes is expected to be inundated by a second peak of the Lachlan River at the same time the town's weekend floodwaters reach downstream Condobolin.

Lachlan SES spokesman Brad Morris says the SES has doubled its resources in preparation for the next wave of flooding as more rain is predicted in coming days.

"We'll have the first peak reaching Condobolin while the second peak hits Forbes," Mr Morris told AAP on Wednesday.


Extra crews have been brought in from around the state and hundreds of locals have banded together to distribute the latest batch of sandbags that arrived from Maitland this week.

"It's been really tough on locals, they've suffered millions of dollars of losses but they are still helping each other," Mr Morris said. One local Forbes hotel has offered 20 rooms for free to those affected by floods, while miners from Lake Coal Mine have brought in trucks to help emergency crews with sandbagging.

"Everyone has turned out," Mr Morris said.

Up to 30mm of rain is expected on Thursday and up to 20mm on Friday, with water forecast to peak early next week, he said.

"Even with a total of 30mm we would see another river rise and another peak. It's just a matter of when," he said.

Many of the residents who were told they can return to their homes at Forbes may be forced to leave again.

Some 100 properties remain subject to an evacuation order.


Sittings at courthouses in Forbes, Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo have been cancelled for next week.

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay said the Newell Highway, a major freight route between Victoria and Queensland, would stay closed for several more weeks. He urged people to keep to major highways as other roads deteriorate under the flooding.

"The SES need to be looking after the communities rather than pulling people off flooded roads," he told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

NSW Farmers' president Derek Schoen said farmers had to remain vigilant while playing the waiting game to see the full impact of the floods. "We're urging farmers to keep a close eye on their livestock and to look out for disease and parasites that occur during floods, in particular foot, skin and wool problems," he said.

Queensland

A significant upper trough combined with the massive weather system will begin to impact southwestern Queensland late today, before sweeping eastwards across the state tomorrow.

Areas from the NT border, all the way east to the coast, can expect to see a period of gusty thunderstorms developing as the change moves through.

Some of these storms may be severe, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds.

Locations that may be affected include Brisbane, Surfers Paradise, Birdsville, Roma and Bundaberg.

A number of flood warnings are also current including for the Bulloo, Paroo and Warrego River systems.

Tasmania

Very heavy rain, associated with the monster low, will develop across large parts of Tasmania tomorrow.

Residents in northern regions are being warned that over 100mm could fall in a 24-hour period, which could lead to flash flooding.



Locations that may be affected include Deloraine, Devonport, Cradle Valley and Scottsdale.

The Bureau of Meteorology is likely to issue warnings as the weather system moves closer tomorrow.