South Australian storm: September 29, 2016 | UPDATES, PHOTOS

If the situation is life-threatening, contact 000.

Have you taken any photos of the storm? Email them to alice.dempster@fairfaxmedia.com.au for inclusion in the statewide gallery.

11.15pm: We’re signing off for the night – please stay safe everyone!

Check the Department of Planning, Transport, and Infrastructure website for roads closed due to being affected by storms before you travel anywhere tomorrow.

Remember, contact 132 500 for SES response to flooding.

If a situation is life threatening, call 000. 

11.10pm: Emergency assistance grants have been made available by the state government for those affected by the statewide power outages.

To find out if you’re eligible and how to apply, visit this page.

10.45pm: As is tradition in regional Australian towns, communities are coming together to help one another through this once-in-50-years storm.

Meanwhile, the SES is recommending those affected by floods follow these guidelines during the situation:

10.18pm: A major flood warning is also in place for the Gawler River Catchment, including the North Para River and South Para River.

In the 24 hours to 9pm Thursday, rainfall totals of up to 50mm have been recorded in the Gawler River catchment. A further 10 to 20mm is possible overnight.

Moderate to major flooding is expected along the North Para and Gawler River catchment, and the South Para River may reach minor flood levels during Friday.

See the full warning on the BOM website.

10.03pm: An updated flood warning has been released for the Angas and Bremer Rivers, which have risen rapidly in response to rainfalls in the last 48 hours.

River levels in the pair are expected to remain very high overnight Thursday into Friday.

Rainfall totals of up to 73 mm have been recorded in the 36 hours to 9pm Thursday in the Bremer and Angas River catchments. Further falls of 10 to 20 mm are possible overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

More information is available here.

9.37pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has pointed the public to its online rainfall gauge, which shows how much rain has fallen in particular areas in the past 24 hours. You can find it here.

9.29pm: We’re thinking of residents of the Clare Valley region, which seems has been inundated with flood waters over the past two days.

See photos from across the region here.

9.20pm: Cleve, in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula region, has finally had power restored, after more than 24 hours of no electricity.

9.17pm: A severe weather warning for destructive winds and abnormally high tides remains in place for most regions in South Australia.

Those affected include: Adelaide Metropolitan, Mount Lofty Ranges, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Flinders, Mid North, Riverland, Murraylands and parts of the West Coast, North West Pastoral and North East Pastoral districts.

7pm: And there’s always to sides to a tale … attracting tourism to Whyalla is often key to good business, it can backfire when visitors suddenly find they can't leave.

This is the situation a number of residents at The Alexander Hotel and the Whyalla Foreshore Motel find themselves in. Read more

6.30pm:  A king tide is seeing Port Augusta plan for a possible bridge closure this evening. Highway One could be closed to all traffic or several hours from as early as 6pm, pending the weather.

That has now, in fact, happened.

6pm: The triple threat of flooding, rain and high seas has state authorities on alert.

A secondary intense low pressure system from Kangaroo Island will hit mainland about 6pm, in the path of Adelaide Metropolitan, Mount Lofty Ranges, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Flinders, Mid North, Riverland, Murraylands and parts of the West Coast, North West Pastoral and North East Pastoral districts. Read on

5.58pm: Relief and recovery centres now are open in Clare, Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Port Pirie, Port Augusta and Whyalla for people unable to find their way home safely.

5.50pm: It looks like there are more outages across the state. Check out more details here

5.32pm: FLOOD EMERGENCY WARNING for PORT PIRIE - Damaging waves and coastal flooding is expected in Port Pirie due to high tides and strong winds. The SES has advised people to prepare for flooding. If your plan is to leave – or if you are not prepared – the message from authorities is leave now. But only leave if you are certain the path is clear to a safer place.

►Check out updates on Port Pirie from the The Recorder

… this from Solomontown Beach:

… and this from Port Germein:

5.30pm: The severe storms to sweep across Port Pirie from Wednesday could cost Nyrstar up to $7 million as its blast furnace is out of action.

Port Pirie’s smelter operator estimates the furnace will be down from 10 to 14 days for repairs. The smelter used a back-up diesel generator after Port Pirie lost power on Wednesday afternoon. It only sustained the furnace for several hours after the outage. Read more

4.45pm: The intense low pressure system which has impacted the State have moved into Victoria, however a vigorous west to southwesterly airstream will continue through the afternoon and overnight. A secondary low will push north over Kangaroo Island and central districts later this afternoon and evening. This secondary low will increase the potential for locally destructive winds and rainfall later today, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

4.34pm: South Australia Police (SAPOL) and SES have issued a warning regarding further destructive weather that may reach Adelaide this afternoon.

Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens and SES Chief Officer Chris Beattie are speaking at a press conference this afternoon as forecast strong winds reached Kangaroo Island.

“I am recommending to people that if they can leave work early, they do so to avoid potential congestion on the metropolitan road network.”

Mr Beattie reiterated that people should take steps to secure both their family and property ahead of potentially 125kph winds.

If you need the State Emergency Service to assist with flood or storm damage then call 132 500 – only call 000 for life threatening emergencies.

Updates regarding local road closures can be found online here.

4.31pm: Blyth will begin the massive clean-up effort following the small tornado and storm which tore through on Wednesday afternoon. 

4.30pm: The SES says the flood threat to Greenock has reduced. Water levels are reducing but remain higher than normal.

4.28pm: Earlier today, Whyalla News reporter Louis Mayfield spoke to managers at the Whyalla Steelworks. 

Whyalla Steelworks has suffered devastating effects from the statewide power outage, and needs power to be restored by 5pm to avoid complications reaching a "critical" stage.

Arrium administrator Mark Mentha said operations had come to a screeching halt at the plant.

3.54pm: After communication issues with our reporters on the ground in Clare today, we’ve finally received an update. Large portions of the region are underwater, and electricty and phone connection issues are still affecting those in town.

GALLERY:  See the storm damage in the Clare region here.

3.30pm: It could take at least a week before power is fully restored to all parts of South Australia following the unprecedented state-wide power blackout on Wednesday which was brought on by a 'one in 50-year' weather event, electricity industry sources have warned.

3.20pm: Energy market experts on Thursday said South Australia's statewide blackout during a once-in-50-years storm was nothing to do with the state's mix of power generation and high reliance on wind energy.

2.40pm: Victor Harbor Goolwa Sea Rescue Squadron leader Warren Brook urged people to stay away from beaches and coastal areas over the next 24 hours.

“Sea conditions, and anything near the beach, are going to be unsafe if the swell comes through the size they're saying it will,” Mr Brook said.

“We're always on standby, so we're ready to go 24/7. But if the sea conditions are that bad, I won't be putting people at risk, so in those sort of conditions there's not a lot we can do.

“The gulfs and the west coast are really going to cop it, what we will get will be a very unusual sea, but I think it's going to be coming to us pretty high.

“The predictions are bad, so stay away from the ocean, that's all we can say.” Read more

1.54pm: A warning from SA Police

1.49pm: From Victor Harbor

1.25pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has reinforced the current warnings:

Updated flood watch for the Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges and Adelaide metropolitan district.

Flooding in the Broughton, Hutt and Gilbert catchments is expected while there also has been reported flooding in Clare.

12.45pm: An emergency warning has been issued for Greenock after a dam located north of the town burst earlier today.

State Emergency Service (SES) has warned the incident may cause flooding of properties and roads in Greenock, with residents urged to closely monitor local conditions for the risk of flooding. Read more

12.30pm: Severe wind warnings and abnormally high tides are still predicted across multiple SA regions today.

A Bureau of Meteorology severe weather warning remains active for people in the Adelaide Metropolitan, Mount Lofty Ranges, West Coast, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Flinders, Mid North, Riverland, North West Pastoral, North East Pastoral and parts of the Murraylands districts.

For more information, visit the BOM website.

You can also see how the weather has affected the Barossa region here.

12.20pm: South Australia was plunged into darkness last night – see how the state responded in our ‘SA by candlelight’ gallery.

12pm: The Murraylands is set to be battered by damaging winds, with the Bureau of Meteorology releasing a satellite video of  the deep low moving east over the region.

11.50am: The Whyalla Steelworks had suffered devastating effects from a state-wide power outage, and needs power to be restored by 5pm to avoid complications reaching a "critical" stage.

Arrium administrator Mark Mentha told the Whyalla News that operations had come to a screeching halt at the plant. Read on

11.30am: Woolworths Port Pirie is open for trading this morning, despite cities in the Upper Spencer Gulf still being without power. 

The food store has received an influx of people searching for essentials. It’s also trying to get rid of its meat stocks.

Meanwhile, in Port Augusta, visitor and residents’ stories are emerging – such as Darwin businessman John Lowe, whose road trip has been halted due to the storms.

10.30am: The Department of Education and Child Development has this morning announced that nearly 80 schools and preschools across the state have been shut down today.

10am: Some residents on the Upper Spencer Gulf may be without power until 6pm Thursday, according to SA Power Networks.

Some parts of Whyalla are expected to have power restored at 3pm Thursday, while Port Pirie and Port Augusta are only expected to receive power at 6pm Thursday.

Read more, and see the damage the storm has cause on the Upper Spencer Gulf cities, here.

7.45am: About 75,000 South Australian homes are without power on Thursday morning, after the state lost power during Wednesday’s storm activity. Find out the estimated time your power will be restored. 

Parts of the state resumed power on Wednesday night, but residents in the state’s north remain without power.

SA Police have warned drivers of reduced visibility in the heavy rain, as local flooding and gusty winds will make driving conditions dangerous in the Adelaide area. 

There is flooding in the Light and Gilbert Valleys Catchments and the Wakefield River Catchment. The Bureau of Meteorology say towns downstream of Hamley Bridge and Rhynie may flood on Saturday.

The bureau has also issued an initial minor flood warning for the Onkaparinga River, while the Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges and metropolitan areas remain on flood watch.