Wild weather has swept across South Australia today causing power outages.

Storm update: 4pm

Approximately 9,500 South Australian customers remain without power as a result of a today's weather conditions.

South Australia has experienced wind gusts of up to 120km/h. An extended dry period, coupled with heavy rains and strong winds, has resulted in trees being uprooted and dropping limbs, causing damage to the electricity network, including an estimated 166 downed wires.

Between 9am and 4pm, there was a cumulative total of 28,565 customers impacted. All available SA Power Networks crews have been working to restore power. The priority has been attending wires down, so that they could be made safe for the community and enable crews to begin restoring supply. 

“Our crews have made good progress, in challenging conditions, and will be working into the evening to safely restore power as quickly as possible. Some outages may extend into Tuesday,” said Cecilia Schutz, Manager External Affairs. 

“SA Power Networks cancelled the majority of planned works and mobilised all possible resources to respond to the damage, which has predominantly been in the metropolitan, Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu regions. Safely repairing the network and restoring power will continue throughout the remainder of today and possibly beyond. We’ll continue to update customers as timeframes become clearer.” 

As SA Power Networks crews arrive at sites and determine when they can reconnect electricity supply, SMS updates will be provided to those subscribed. If not already, at Sign up for updates via our website.

Ms Schutz said SA Power Networks understood delays in restoring power were frustrating for customers. 

“We are working to respond to outages as quickly as possible. We thank customers for their patience, as our crews work to restore power in difficult conditions.” 

More

• Stay at least 10 metres clear of downed powerlines and always assume they are live.
• Report downed powerlines immediately on 13 13 66.
• The State Emergency Service can be contacted on 132 500.
• Emergencies should be reported to 000.
• Check our outage map for information on current outages

How we prioritise outage restoration after an event

Restoring widespread power outages after extreme events can be complex and time-consuming. We prioritise our efforts to address the highest needs of the community.