Arabic version: البَرَد يضر بمحاصيل جنوب أستراليا قبل حصاد قياسي متوقع

According to ABC News, severe storms have damaged crops and farm equipment in regional South Australia as farmers prepare for an expected record-breaking harvest. Western parts of the Riverland and Mallee received between 13 and 35 millimetres of rain late on Tuesday, with hail also reported.

At Kamora Park Poll Merino Station in Sandalwood, about 175 kilometres east of Adelaide, roughly 30mm of rain fell in 10 minutes. Hail stripped some crops to stalks. Stud principal Katelyn Boughen said a lupin crop could have suffered damage of 50 per cent or more after the storm.

Ms Boughen said the hail was up to a centimetre in diameter and appeared like snow. She said it made a sound like “little gunshots” when it struck the tin roof near the sheds. The property had been growing lupins for about three years in an effort to reduce costs.

Anne Boughen estimated that about a quarter of the crop at Kamora Park, or around 400 hectares, was lost. She said paddocks had been washed with large gutters, while sheep feeders were smashed. Trees were stripped and leaves, hail and steam from the road were visible after the event.

Lameroo residents reported 35mm of rain and hail within an hour, flooding the main street. Reports also recorded 20mm at Halidon and 16mm at Loxton. The Bureau of Meteorology said the western Riverland, parts of the Mid North, Murraylands and North East Pastoral District were most affected, including 22mm at Ponderosa, 16mm at Mount Mary and 13mm at Bakara Well.

Above-average rainfall this year had broken years of drought in many parts of South Australia, lifting crop prospects and expectations for a record-breaking harvest. Property owners are now assessing storm damage.