Onslow weather
HOME gardeners were rejoicing when 9.8mm of rain fell in Adelaide yesterday morning.
The unexpected soaking came thanks to the influence of Cyclone Narelle, off the Western Australian coast, which ended a spell of 28 days without rain.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Brett Gage said the the run of rainless days was half the record 56 days set in 2002.
Good falls were also received in the Adelaide Hills yesterday, while Lameroo received 12.8mm, Murray Bridge 10mm, Pallamana 9.6mm, Maitland 9mm, Cleve 7.2mm and Nuriootpa 4mm.
Wine Grape Council of SA chairman Simon Berry said rain would provide a small benefit to grape growers in the Adelaide Hills and cool climate areas, where most of the berries were green and hard.
He said the Riverland would be more vulnerable if heavy falls came at this time of year, when the harvest was fast approaching.
The rain came a day after South Australia recorded its third-highest temperature ever of 49.6C at Moomba in the Far North East on Saturday.
It has been beaten only by 50.7C on January 2, 1960, and 50.3C on January 3, 1960, both at Oodnadatta.
The Moomba temperature was the highest recorded in Australia for 15 years.
The last time a higher temperature was recorded somewhere in Australia was in February 1998, in the Western Australian Pilbara, where Nyang reached 49.8C.
A spokeswoman for SA Water said the rain would help reduce consumption because people used less water when it rained and the weather was cooler. The SA Water Reservoirs hold 103 gigalitres and are at 52 per cent of their capacity but consumption is well below previous drought years.
Mr Gage said South Australia would warm up again this week - to 39C on Thursday in Adelaide.
A significant change should arrive on Thursday night and drop Friday's maximum to 26.
A morning shower or two also is forecast for Adelaide on Friday.
Originally published as Rain gives brief respite