Adelaide is in the grip of a wild winter storm this weekend, with Sunday shaping up as potentially the wettest single August day the city has seen in at least 10 years, with an estimated 30mm of rainfall from midnight to midnight. 

A broad band of heavy rain and strong winds is sweeping across southern Australia with the passage of a strong cold front, bringing concerns of flash flooding to parts of South Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales. Severe weather warnings have been issued for all three states, warning of sustained winds reaching 70km/h and gusting to 100km/h across elevated areas, possibly even gusting to 125km/h over alpine areas of NSW, as the system pushes east. 

Find more info on current weather warnings here.

Image: Wind gusts across Australia on Sunday evening, according to the ECMWF model. Source: Weatherzone 

Just how much rain are we talking?  

Adelaide's average August total since records began in 1839 is just 61.1mm - yet the city could exceed that figure in the space of a few days alone. Around 20mm of rain has already fallen across Adelaide suburbs in the 24 hours to 9am Sunday morning. With heavy falls continuing through Sunday and into Monday morning, totals across the event may surpass 60mm. 

Image: Model predicted rainfall accumulation over 48 hours, ending Monday evening. Source: Weatherzone 

It wouldn't be the first milestone of the year. Adelaide already recorded its wettest start to winter in 35 years back in June, and as recently as early July, the city clocked its wettest July day in a decade, with 33mm falling at the main city gauge. 

The wild weather isn't stopping at the South Australian border. Damaging winds and heavy rain are tracking east. Coastal Wind Warnings for gales are current for the West Coast, Central Coast and Spencer Gulf of South Australia, while Severe Weather Warnings for damaging winds have been issued across most South Australian and Victorian districts, including elevated ranges. Flood watches have been issued for multiple Victorian catchments as the front pushes through, and severe weather warnings extend into southern New South Wales -meaning millions of people across three states are bracing for a wild and woolly end to the weekend.