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ADELAIDE, Australia, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- South Australia is being lashed by lighting strikes, heavy rain and high winds that have knocked out power to city of Adelaide and surrounding rural areas. About 80,000 lightning strikes have been recorded during the severe weather, hitting electrical plants, while wind knocked down at least 20 transmission towers.
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State Premier Jay Weatherill compared the storm to 2012's Hurricane Sandy.
South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens urged the public to leave work early, to avoid the congestion and being caught in the weather.
About 100 schools remain closed as tens of thousands remain without power in many areas.
Between to three inches of rain could be dumped on the state over the next 24 hours with Weatherill declaring it an "unprecedented weather event."
UPDATE Severe Weather Warning, locally DESTRUCTIVE wind gusts about 130km/h are possible KI, York Pen and Mid North. https://t.co/IXBXq1M8lR pic.twitter.com/N83WqnlBbt
— BOM South Australia (@BOM_SA) September 29, 2016
