Severe Weather Warning: Heavy, Intense Rainfall and Flash Flooding Forecast for Adelaide and South Australia

Alert Details

The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a Severe Weather Warning (IDS21037) for heavy and locally intense rainfall. The warning was issued at 11:18 am ACDT on Saturday, February 28, 2026, and remains in effect as a low-pressure system moves southwards from the Northern Territory into north-central South Australia.

Affected Areas

The warning covers a broad geographic scope across South Australia, including the following districts:

• Adelaide Metropolitan
• Mount Lofty Ranges
• Lower and Eastern Eyre Peninsula
• Yorke Peninsula
• Flinders and Mid North
• Kangaroo Island
• Riverland and Murraylands
• Upper and Lower South East
• North East Pastoral and parts of the West Coast and North West Pastoral districts

Specific locations that may be impacted include Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Renmark, Mount Gambier, and Ceduna.

What You Should Do

The State Emergency Service (SES) advises residents in the warning areas to take the following safety actions:

• Do not drive, ride, or walk through flood water.
• Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
• Stay indoors and away from windows while conditions are severe.

Expected Conditions

An extremely humid tropical airmass interacting with a low-pressure system and a southern trough is expected to produce significant precipitation:

• Heavy Rainfall: Six-hourly totals between 30 and 50 mm are possible today, increasing to 40 to 60 mm in central and southeastern parts on Sunday.
• Intense Rainfall: Locally intense falls, which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding, are likely. Six-hourly totals between 40 and 60 mm are possible today, potentially reaching 60 to 100 mm on Sunday.

Recent observations have already recorded significant totals, including 41 mm at Parndana in two hours and 50 mm at Minnipa in six hours.

Timeline

The warning is currently active. Heavy rainfall is likely in northern and western parts of the state today, with the risk broadening to the Murraylands and Riverland districts tonight. The threat of heavy and intense rainfall is expected to increase and move more broadly across central and southeastern parts, including Adelaide, throughout Sunday.