It came from the northeast, which is the opposite direction to the most reliable source of rain, but residents of Adelaide and nearby parts of South Australia will take a good soaking any way it comes.

A total of 12.4 mm fell in Adelaide between 9 am and 3: 30 pm Thursday, and while normally you wouldn't do a song and dance about such a moderate amount of rain, every drop counts when it's been as dry as it has lately.

Here's a three-hour radar loop leading up to 3: 30 pm today. As you can see, the rainfall was hardly widespread, so while rain was forecast in Adelaide today, you'd still say the city got lucky.

The good news is that similar falls are possible on Friday, and here's hoping they arrive because Adelaide has been bone dry for months. There's unusually high humidity for this time of year, so storms are also possible - though they're more likely in the hills and extremely likely further east.

Take a look at the graph below of Adelaide rainfall over the last 12 months. The year has been a tale of two halves, with near-average of above-average ran in the first six months, and deficiencies from July onwards.

• Indeed this Thursday's rain was just the second recorded rain day in Adelaide this November, after a paltry 0.4 mm fell on November 14
• Today was also the first day with a double-digit rainfall total since September 7, when 13.6 mm fell

As we move into Thursday evening, the rainband is breaking up around Adelaide itself, but it's holding its shape further north and still delivering steady falls to the Mid North forecast district.

It also looks like crossing over the St Vincent Gulf to the Yorke Peninsula which has also been parched in recent months.

There's the potential for a little more rain on Saturday but the unstable weather should clear southern SA by Sunday.