CANBERRA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- An emergency warning for dangerous flash flooding has been issued in South Australia (SA) due to an intense rainfall event.
In a severe weather warning issued on Friday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said that heavy to intense rainfall was expected to hit SA's arid north and northeast on Friday before spreading south towards the state capital of Adelaide over the weekend.
It said that heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is forecast for parts of SA's northeast and northwest pastoral districts, which are major cattle and sheep farming regions, with 24-hour rainfall totals of up to 130 millimeters possible.
"Locally intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is also possible," the warning said.
The BoM weather station in the northwest pastoral district town of Coober Pedy has not recorded more than 5 mm of rain on a single day since October 2025 and did not record any rainfall for the entirety of January or December.
In a flood watch for SA issued on Thursday, the BoM said that catchments across the state are likely to be affected over the coming days.
In Adelaide, the BoM is forecasting rainfall totals of up to 115 mm over Saturday and Sunday.
Heidi Davis from the State Emergency Service told Adelaide radio station FIVEAA on Friday that it was important for people across SA to be aware of the conditions and prepare their homes for flooding. ■