Arabic version: خزانات أديلايد تكتسب 18 مليار لتر بعد أمطار غزيرة

According to ABC News, SA Water’s metro reservoirs received about 18 billion litres in the 24 hours to 8am, their highest combined daily inflow since September 2016. The inflows lifted combined storage by 9 per cent to 73 per cent of capacity, while waterfalls in the Adelaide Hills roared back to life after heavy rain.

Lightning, heavy rain and small hail crossed Morialta Conservation Park east of Adelaide at about 2:30pm the previous day. The weather turned the park’s normally gentle waterway into a raging torrent. Fourth Creek, known by the Kaurna name Moriatta, flows through Morialta and into the River Torrens system, but is below reservoir catchments and does not affect storage levels.

SA Water Water Futures and Security senior manager Ashley Kingsborough said Mount Bold received more than 5 billion litres. Its storage rose 13 per cent to 82 per cent of capacity, while Kangaroo Creek increased by 19 per cent. Little Para and South Para reservoirs increased by 7 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

More than 71 billion litres has flowed into metro reservoirs since the start of winter, leaving storages above the 55 per cent holding recorded at the same time last year. SA Water said it would work with the Bureau of Meteorology to monitor forecast rain and reservoir levels for any potential water releases from Mt Bold, which are typically triggered when storage exceeds 95 per cent. The last Mt Bold release was in November 2022.

Visitors to Morialta Conservation Park were urged to stay on marked trails, obey warnings and remain behind safety barriers. Several South Australian towns also recorded record-breaking August rainfall totals across Saturday and the previous day, including 110 millimetres at Lenswood, 101mm at Coromandel East and 150mm in parts of the state’s far north.