23rd May 2003

A low developed with a trough causing heavy rain and flooding in some areas of the Mt Lofty Ranges and the Mid North, with Myponga recording 96mm!
Woke up early in the morning as the pre-frontal trough had the chance of producing some weak storms and sure enough a few were going over the Yorke peninsula, Barossa, and Kangaroo Island. They only produced some very infrequent lightning, but there were plenty of showers around and they were only going to increase as the day went on.

Heavy showers continued especially in the southern suburbs and hills so by noon Noarlunga had received 26mm in 4 hours. Most of the high-based thunderies were over the northern agricultural areas and didn't seem to be very electrically active but were still generating a lot of rain.

By mid-afternoon most suburbs had received 10-20mm but the real interest was down south at Myponga, which had been under pink and red on radar for a good 2 hours…. By 4pm reports were coming in of flooding and unofficial recordings of 95mm of rain in a few hours!! By the following day it was established that Myponga indeed had recorded 96mm of rain including 71mm in only 45 minutes!

There were also reports of heavy rain/showers during the afternoon and evening in the Mid North. The CFS reported heavy rain/flooding in the Port Pirie/Crystal Brook area, with the most significant rainfall reports being; Crystal Brook, 49 mm over 3 days, Georgetown, 61 mm over 2 days, Laura, 61 mm over 3 days, Melrose, 57 mm over 4 days. (Most of this rain fell in the 24 hours to 9 am Tuesday, 24th May).

Photos by TIM THORPE
of flooding near Kangarilla and Meadows.
Please see his website Hillsrain for enlarged versions, more photos and reports.

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