SA welcomes widespread rain

Many locations recorded rainfall totals exceeding 50 millimetres, coming at the perfect time for many croppers who have just finished, or are very close to finishing, their seeding programs.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, an intense low-pressure system was responsible for severe rain and wind conditions, particularly in northern Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges.

BOM issued a warning to sheep graziers on Monday morning, warning that cold conditions, rain and showers, and fresh to strong and gusty northwest to southwesterly winds were expected to continue throughout the day.

Grain Producers SA chief executive officer Brad Perry said with a number of SA's graingrowing regions dry until the rainfall event, this was the break in the season many had been waiting for.

"With a majority of seeding across the state completed, Sunday and Monday's rainfall events were ideally timed to provide much need soil moisture and reserves," he said.

"In some areas, grain producers have received their highest monthly rainfall in 30 years and in other cropping regions this rainfall event is the single largest in six years."

Mr Perry said that many growers would have completed their seeding programs, but there were still some waiting for the break to get started.

He believed the break would give growers much needed confidence in the face of high input costs.

"The rain will certainly give grain producers confidence about the season ahead, but the high cost of input prices continues to be a factor to a grower's bottom line," Mr Perry said.

While the rainfall event filled dams on Kangaroo Island, it also caused damage to some recently sown paddocks.

Kevin Freebairn, who runs crossbred sheep and Angus cattle at Menzies on Kangaroo Island, said rain started to lightly fall there at 4pm on Sunday and they received 42mm overnight.

He said they had only just finished seeding for feed prior to the downpour.

"There's a lot of washouts, especially on the ground that I've worked up," he said.

"We've had more runoff into our dams from last night than we did all of last year, which is a positive.

"It's basically filled three dams and a couple of those were dry this year for the first time."

Mr Freebairn said he would be able to see the full scale of washouts when paddocks dried, but was happy nonetheless.

"We certainly needed it (the rain)," he said.

"It will get feed kicking along. It would have been nice if it was a little more spread out but that's nature and you can't complain."

While the rain was welcomed for the most part, winds caused their fair share of damage in Adelaide, with the SA State Emergency Service responding to more than 200 jobs after a "small, brief tornado" hit the Salisbury area.

The mini tornado struck Salisbury and surrounding suburbs at about 5am, bringing down powerlines, trees and damaging houses.

EYRE PENINSULA: Mt Cooper 35mm, Minnipa 33, Ceduna 31, Streaky Bay 28, Cummins 26, Port Lincoln 25.

UPPER NORTH: Melrose 51mm, Wirrabara 32, Appila 31, Yongala 23, Booleroo Centre 22.

FAR NORTH: Arcoona Bluff 27mm, Arkaroola 21, Marree 20, Blinman 14.

LOWER NORTH: Mintaro 34mm, Farrell Flat 31, Laura 30, Clare 29, Auburn 29, Booborowie 23.

YORKE PENINSULA: Maitland 53mm, Warooka 49, Minlaton 43, Pine Point 42, Yorketown 40, Edithburgh 39.

KANGAROO ISLAND: Kingscote 35mm, Cape Borda 29, Parndana 25, Cape Willoughby 17.

ADELAIDE PLAINS: Roseworthy 46mm, Edinburgh 46.

COUNTY LIGHT: Stockport 51mm, Tanunda 45, Nuriootpa 45, Greenock 40, Tarlee 40, Riverton 33.

MT LOFTY RANGES: Hermitage 72mm, Ashton 69, Kersbrook 63, Gumeracha 62, Williamstown 53, Lenswood 50.

RIVERLAND: Berri 26mm, Loxton 24, Renmark 21.

MURRAY PLAINS: TRURO 50mm, Eudunda 41, Sedan 34, Robertstown 33, Blanchetown 29.

MALLEE: Paruna 31mm, Alawoona 30, Pinnaroo 30, Claypans 23.

UPPER SOUTH EAST: Keith 17mm, Tintinara 16, Lameroo 16, Coonalpyn 15, Peake 15, Bordertown 13.

LOWER SOUTH EAST: Kingston 16mm, Lucindale 12, Padthaway 11, Frances 9.