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ABC News
27-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Thousands without power after SA hit by high tides, wind gusts and heavy rainfall
Thousands of South Australian households and businesses are without power as the clean-up continues after the gusty winds, high rainfalls and high tides that lashed most of the state yesterday. Wind gusts of up to 126 kilometres per hour were recorded on Monday, as well as sea levels up to 4.6 metres above the lowest astronomical tide expected at Port Pirie. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said areas of the state recorded up to 40 millimetres of rain, with the highest totals recorded on the Mount Lofty Ranges. The high tides and storm surge have damaged a number of jetties across the state, including at Normanville, where the pontoon yesterday also washed up onto the shore. Downed powerlines have forced the closure of Sacred Heart College's Marcellin campus in Somerton Park. The school wrote on Facebook that the campus would be closed from today until further notice. "Marcellin Campus is currently without power due to significant damage from last night's storm. Powerlines are down on Cudmore Street which poses a significant safety risk," the post read. Senior BOM forecaster Simon Timcke told ABC Radio Adelaide conditions should ease today, but wind gusts had caused damage across the state. "The dust was quite an amazing feature, watching it on the satellite picture … a very widespread area of dust. Then it pushed into north-western Victoria and that persisted for a good part of the day," he said. "I'm sure [it was] some welcome rainfall but the winds, perhaps, [were] not so welcome. "We saw very strong and gusty winds around most of the agricultural area yesterday, with some pretty big gusts, a lot of places picking up gusts in the 80-100kph [area], so there is quite a lot of tree damage and debris around as a result of that. "We're certainly in the easing mode, but I think once everybody gets up and surveys the damage from yesterday there will be quite a bit around. "Those elevated tides really causing some pretty amazing scenes across the coastal fringe there too." Peter Oliver, who runs a cafe at Hindmarsh Island, said he was "astounded" by the damage. "It was probably the worst storm we've seen here in probably 10 or more years … lots of damage," he said. "The tide has come up super fast, faster than I've ever seen. "All the jetties are underwater. My neighbour's jetty has been smashed into pieces." Patricia from Cambray, 17km from Walker's Flat, told ABC Radio Adelaide the area had recorded 24.8mm of rain all year, with 13mm of that falling just yesterday. "It was horrendous. I come from Queensland and I thought I was in a cyclone," she said. "It was so bad, you couldn't see in front of you. I had dust all over the place and I actually went to check the sheep troughs and I had three inches of mud, which I tried to clean out so I could get proper water to them." Michael from Monash told ABC Radio Adelaide it was the worst dust storm he had seen since the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, with visibility down to "30 or 40 metres". "We get the odd one here or there that might last for an hour … but not to this extent," he said. The Department of Primary Industries and Regions says it could take up to a week to know whether yesterday's strong winds were enough to break up the algal bloom. Since March an algal bloom caused by warmer-than-average sea temperatures has been choking the ocean along the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and the Yorke Peninsula south coast. Oceanography lead Mark Doubell said satellite images would be used to survey the algal bloom once the clouds had cleared. "I think it's going to take several days [and] up to potentially a week to be really certain [the algae has dispersed]. "And, of course, water sampling is being taken to confirm the presence of the algae and its concentration, but that also takes several days to turn around."
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Warning for SA coastline as abnormally high tide lashes beaches and jetties
Damaging winds will ease overnight across South Australia but a warning remains in place for "abnormally high tides" along much of the state's coastline. The Bureau of Meteorology said the "strong cold front" which lashed the state throughout Monday has moved south and over the border to Victoria and conditions would gradually ease in SA. According to a warning issued late on Monday, "abnormally high tides" were likely to lead to sea water flooding at low lying coastal areas in the Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent on Monday. It said the tides were likely to rise "significantly above the normal high tide mark" during the afternoon and evening. The sea level was expected to reach 3.9 metres above the lowest astronomical tide, while at Port Pirie it was expected to rise to 4.6 metres. "Large surf in combination with the elevated sea levels may also lead to coastal erosion and localised damage to coastal infrastructure, including about the Adelaide metropolitan beaches," the warning says. The bureau said the locations expected to be affected include Port Adelaide, Adelaide metropolitan beaches, Port Pirie, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Wallaroo, Victor Harbor and Port Wakefield. Footage has also emerged on social media of waves crashing across jetties along and a structure at Marion Bay on the Yorke Peninsula being swept away in swell. The bureau said winds from the west and south-west could average up to 65 kilometres per hour with possible peak gusts of 90 kph into Tuesday morning. The highest gust on Monday was 126 kph recorded at Neptune Island at 5.22am, while on the mainland a gust of 107 kph was recorded at Minlaton Airport at 1.05pm. Other places which recorded gusts of 90 kph and above include Port Pirie, Cultana, Cummins and Cape Borda. She said the expected sea level peaks were similar heights to an event in May 2016 which caused damage along the coastline. "With these severe winds, we are also expecting large waves of 6m-9m this afternoon about exposed coasts, and these will abate during Tuesday," she said. In May 2016 historic jetties, including the heritage-listed Port Germain jetty on the Spencer Gulf, were damaged during severe weather. Other jetties damaged at the time included Moonta Bay, Henley Beach, Venus Bay, Port Rickaby and Elliston.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Australia's Nyrstar seeks government funding for antimony production
MELBOURNE, May 21 (Reuters) - Nyrstar, owned by global commodity trader Trafigura, could potentially produce the critical mineral antimony at its South Australian processing plant but would need government support to do so, its CEO Matt Howell said. New supply of the strategic metal crucial to the production of ammunition, night-vision goggles, and infrared sensors is in high demand after China, the world's biggest antimony producer, imposed export controls last year. As part of a strategic review of Nyrstar's Australian operations Trafigura is undertaking, Nyrstar found it would be able to produce up to 5,000 tonnes of antimony metal or antimony trioxide a year at its multi-metals processing plant in Port Pirie by adding an additional processing stage after lead smelting, the company said. "We have the capability to produce a range of critical minerals including antimony to help meet global demand," Nyrstar CEO Matt Howell said. "However, it will require significant investments and support to address the unsustainable market pressures that Australian smelters are facing," he said in a statement to Reuters on May 5. Howell did not specify how much government funding would be necessary to support output at the Port Pirie site or when it could begin producing antimony metal. Australia's smelters are struggling with high domestic power costs and an oversupply of processing capacity in China that has squeezed the fees they can charge to process material. The Australian government is offering billions of dollars in funding to support critical mineral processing. "Antimony is defined as a critical mineral by the Australian Government, which provides a pathway to access substantial government support," a South Australian government spokesperson said. He added that complex refineries were key to the state's economy.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia's Nyrstar seeks government funding for antimony production
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Nyrstar, owned by global commodity trader Trafigura, could potentially produce the critical mineral antimony at its South Australian processing plant but would need government support to do so, its CEO Matt Howell said. New supply of the strategic metal crucial to the production of ammunition, night-vision goggles, and infrared sensors is in high demand after China, the world's biggest antimony producer, imposed export controls last year. As part of a strategic review of Nyrstar's Australian operations Trafigura is undertaking, Nyrstar found it would be able to produce up to 5,000 tonnes of antimony metal or antimony trioxide a year at its multi-metals processing plant in Port Pirie by adding an additional processing stage after lead smelting, the company said. "We have the capability to produce a range of critical minerals including antimony to help meet global demand," Nyrstar CEO Matt Howell said. "However, it will require significant investments and support to address the unsustainable market pressures that Australian smelters are facing," he said in a statement to Reuters on May 5. Howell did not specify how much government funding would be necessary to support output at the Port Pirie site or when it could begin producing antimony metal. Australia's smelters are struggling with high domestic power costs and an oversupply of processing capacity in China that has squeezed the fees they can charge to process material. The Australian government is offering billions of dollars in funding to support critical mineral processing. "Antimony is defined as a critical mineral by the Australian Government, which provides a pathway to access substantial government support," a South Australian government spokesperson said. He added that complex refineries were key to the state's economy.
