South Australia’s fiercest weather system so far this year has been wreaking havoc on the state’s coast.
Wild winds have been whipping up a huge tidal surge that’s caused commuter chaos and forced many jetties to be closed.
At Brighton and Glenelg in Adelaide, the water was lashing up onto the esplanade, catching drivers off guard.
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There was also hail and heavy rain at Victor Harbor and other places in the state’s south.
Destructive winds also brought down trees.
The SES has responded to more than 200 calls for help since midnight.
The destructive weather also sent parts of the state into darkness , with power lines ripped down in Grange in Adelaide.
Westfield Marion in the city was also plunged into darkness, causing some brief disruptions for staff and customers.
Dust storms are also causing dangerous conditions on rural roads including the Sturt Highway.
Police have warned the dust is hampering visibility, with some roads closed.
”Ensure your headlights are on and drive to the conditions,” South Australian Police said.
“Pull to the side of the road if it is unsafe to continue, activate your hazard lights and wait for the storm to pass.”
In the township of Peterborough, residents were caught off guard by the dust storm.
“You couldn’t see the clubrooms at all. It was all just a metre in front of you, and you could just taste it. It was really horrible,” local Janet Fielding said.
For drought-stricken farmers it was yet another blow.
Rob Brokenshire from the Dairy Farmers Association said: “We are desperate for rain, but we didn’t need a storm like this.”
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Cold front moves in
Multiple states were earlier told to brace for wind gusts of up to 125km/h across Australia’s south-east as the “most powerful cold front of the year” moves in.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecasted dangerous winds above 90km/h, with damaging gusts reaching the upper 125km/h limit, across southern South Australia, Victoria, the NSW Snowy Mountains, and parts of the ACT.
The winds are set to ease by tomorrow, but NSW will remain at risk, including in the east, where more showers are forecast, including for flood-hit areas.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that trees were “weak” across south-east Australia after months of dry weather, leaving them vulnerable to strong winds.
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