50,000 homes without power as storm wreaks havoc across SA

About 1000 emergency service personnel have responded to more than 1000 callouts for storm damage across the state today as creeks burst their banks, streets flooded and trees fell on cars and brought down power lines.

Hundreds of showgoers were left in darkness this afternoon when power was cut in the Jubilee and Goyder pavilions and to several rides for a short time about 2pm.

Video of uprooted tree

Video of blacked out Adelaide Show

Video of constant rain

Residents at a house in Bowker St, Somerton Park, had a lucky escape after live power lines - brought down by a falling tree - landed on the airconditioning unit about 3.30pm yesterday and sparked a blaze which required 24 firefighters to put out.

SES acting chief officer Matt Maywald said damage had been quite widespread from the storm, which he described as one of the state's strongest in five years.

"We've experienced flooding from Kimba on the upper Eyre Peninsula through to the south-east areas, Fleurieu Peninsula through to the Riverland and in the Adelaide metro area," he said.

Adelaide has been drenched with 42mm of rain from 9am Friday morning to 3pm today, with 56mm falling at Elizabeth. Blinman in the Flinders Ranges recorded the state's largest rainfaill with 117mm, followed by 98mm at Leigh Creek, 64mm at Mount Crawford and 51mm at Loxton and Wallaroo.

Strong winds have been experienced across the state with a 106km/h wind gust recorded at Murray Bridge.

And more brutal weather is on the way tomorrow, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which forecasts showers increasing on Sunday and a cold 15C maximum in Adelaide.