Floods in Clare
The Clare & Mid-North of S.A. has had 15 floods since 1899.
TOTAL: up to 33 Floods since settlement !!
Page 2. Floods in the 20th Century
4. 8 July 1951
9. 14 May 1974
10. 1 December 1975
11. 5 July 1978
13. 31 October 1997
14. 18 October 2000
15. 16 September 2016
Clare's 20th Century Floods
1900-1950
1. 3-4 March 1913
Very heavy widespread rainfall and thunderstorms caused property damage in many areas. Rainfall of 3.69 inches in 48 hours was recorded at Freeling.
Among other high rainfall areas, the Clare and Barossa Valleys recorded high rainfall and heavy floods
STORMY ELEMENTS --Thunder, Lightning, and Rain -- Destructive Deluges,
Many parts of the State, during Mondajj night and -Tuesday. experienced exceptionally stormy conditions. Vivid lightning and heavy thunder created much alarm, especially among the women and children, and in some places were followed by downpours of rain, which exceeded even those recorded last month.
Considerable damage was done, particularly in the County of Light, where premises were flooded and bridges washed away. At Eudunda in 54 hours, 2.94" of rain was recorded.
Freeling had 2.13, Watervale 2.07, and Truro 1.9",
At Freeling the total for the 48 hours ended at 8.30 on Tuesday was 3.69.
North of Snowtown the falls were very scattered, and except for 1.14 at Yardea, were chiefly light.
South from Snowtown, however, and east of Spencer's Gulf, the precipitation, leaving out the south coast and the lower south-east, was fairly general, though patchy. .
2. 1-3 September 1933
Two days of heavy rainfall throughout the State caused widespread damage and loss.
In the Mid-North flooding also occurred at Clare and two boys drowned when a car washed away while attempting to ford the flooded Hutt River.
Floods in many parts of ihe State yesterday caused two deaths.
When a motor car tried to cross the flooded Hull River at Clare about midnight on Thursday, it was swept away, and two boys, sons of Mr. and Mrs. K. J. Langridge, of Stanley Flat, were drowned.
After terrifying experiences the driver was saved by a man who went to his aid as he clung to a sapling on the bank.
3. 1-3 September 1937
The Wakefield, Hill, Hutt, Light, Gawler, Brougham and Gilbert Rivers overflowed.
Widespread floods caused serious damage to trees, crops, railway lines, bridges and loss of stock and property. This covered most areas from Koolunga to Saddleworth.
The Clare area was affected most.
WORST FLOODS FOR 40 YEARS IN MID-NORTH
Heavy Losses In Many Country Districts -- NARROW ESCAPES AS WATERS MAROON SETTLERS --
Bridges Swept Away: -- Washaways On Railway Lines
Considerable damage to property and heavy losses of sheep and cattle were caused yesterday by the worst floods experienced in the middle north of South Australia for nearly 40 years. Many districts in the central and mid-north were inundated to a depth of several feet.
There were narrow escapes as rivers and creeks, swollen hy terrific downpours on Wednesday night and early yesterday morning, swept through townships and isolated lonely farm houses.
A man who was caught in the storm near Kooringa when his truck broke down, was found dead from exposure under a verandah yesterday morning.
Several bridges were swept away or badly damaged, and washaways on railway lines dislocated railway services and delayed mails. Late last night the floods were reported to be receding in most of the areas, but in some cases the danger had not abated.
Clare was probably the most seriously affected district. Many residents living near the Hutt River had narrow escapes from drowning when the waters overflowed the banks and poured in torrents into their houses early in the morning. Parents worked frantically in the swirling waters to carry children from their beds to safety, and to save livestock.
The floods were stated to be the worst in living memory in the Clare district, as the waters from the Hill River merged with those of the Hutt River, and poured down the main street from the south end at a depth of several feet.
The street lights were switched on at 4.30 am to assist shopkeepers in saving their premises, many having been warned by telephone.
Two bridges were carried away, and others badly damaged. When the Gleeson street bridge was swept away, the telephone conduits were broken, and there is now no telephone communication with the western side of the town.
Considerable numbers of y stock have been drowned. Mr. C. Cichon lost 100 sheep out of a flock of 130.
Miles of fencing were washed away, and there has been heavy damage to property.
The main road to Balaklava was submerged early yesterday. It is believed that there has been considerable damage to property and stock.
Farm Houses Isolated
The biggest flood for 48 years was experienced at Koolunga. Farm houses are isolated, and barley and wheat crops are being destroyed. Stockowners In the Hilltown district have suffered serious losses, considerable numbers of sheep having been drowned. Late last night the waters were subsiding.
Trapped by the floodwaters
Mrs. J. Scott had to be carried from her home at 6.30 ajn. yesterday through two feet of water. After a night of hurricane and heavy rain, residents of Auburn awoke yesterday to see miles of country flooded. They stated that it was the worst inu dation since 1899, when the waters rose 30 inches higher than on this occasion.
Damage to property was confined chiefly to fencing, but it is feared that many sheep and cattle have been drowned. Concern ls felt about the condition ol the foundations of the railway bridge over Rice's Creek, which carried an immense volume of water. Large portions of the bank on the southern side of the bridge fell in, and it is feared that further falls will endanger the structure.
1951-1980
4. 8 July 1951
Heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the Lower North, in particular, Clare, Gawler and environs of Adelaide. Some stock losses reported.
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Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), Monday 9 July 1951, page 1
Lower North Areas Flooded
CLARE FAMILIES EVACUATED
Heavy rain, with falls ranging up to four inches, drenched the Lower North during the week-end and caused wide- spread flooding. More rain and squalls are expected today by the Weather Bureau.
The Hutt River overflowed its banks at Clare yesterday afternoon, forcing about 30 people to evacuate their homes. Residents made sandbag barriers along the Main North road to contain the floodwater.
When the Hutt River flooded 20 houses along several hundred yards of river frontage at Clare, some to a depth of three feet, three elderly women, two of them bedridden, were carried to safety by neighbors.
About 30 people had to be accommodated at neighbors' houses. The river was still running bank high last night and was expected to rise farther if the rain became heavier.
Bridge Awash
At the height of the flood last night, the main street at the north end of Clare was about two feet under water.
Horses were rescued from four feet of water near the river.
Communication between the east and west sides of -the town was interrupted, with the main bridge under water. Two foot-bridges in the town were washed away.
5. 10-18 July 1956
Very heavy rains resulted in widespread disruption of transport in the Eyre Peninsula and evacuation of homes.
In the Mid-North, floodwaters closed the roads between Snowtown and Blyth, Clare and Burra.
6. 26 September 1956
Heavy rain caused the River Gilbert to overflow its banks and flood the main street of Manoora to a depth of 3 feet.
7. 19 April 1968
Flooding occurred across northern parts of the State, cutting many roads and destroying fences and property. One and half inched fell in Halbury in 25 minutes, cutting the Auburn to Balaklava road as well as the Halbury to Hoyleton railway line.
8. 26 August 1970
The highway north of Clare was under 4 feet of water.
9. 14 May 1974
Clare suffered its worst flood in the town's history. Fifty shops were flooded by two and a half feet of water when the banks of the Hutt River burst. Floodwaters of four feet flowed down the main street and about 15 houses were inundated.
10. 1 December 1975
The Mid-North town of Blyth was flooded by torrential rain.
11. 5 July 1978
In Clare, parts of the main street was underwater.
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1981-2024
12. 24-25 September 1992
Widespread rains caused flooding in a number of places. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of flood damage occurred in the Clare Valley. Roads were cut throughout the Mid-North.
13. 31 October 1997
Buildings were flooded in Watervale and Clare and roads cut after widespread storms.
In South Australia, moderate to heavy rain has fallen over all but the far north and west of the state, with registrations for the 24 hours to 09.00 CDST generally between 20 and 75mm.
Heaviest falls, mostly between 50 and 70mm were in the Lower North, Yorke Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges and the Adelaide area, and included Watervale 96, Auburn 94 and Snowtown 83 in the Lower North.
14. 18 October 2000
There was flash-flooding in the Clare Valley.
A low pressure system that developed in the heat low over Western Australia two days ago and moved slowly ESE brought a day of heavy rain and gale force winds, the rain band wrapped around its southern side and returned to the same area from the south to give even heavier rain during the afternoon and evening.
The Clare Valley and Northern Mount Lofty Ranges caught the heaviest falls, with 24 hour to 9am Thursday totals of 62.4mm at Watervale and 56.4 at Mintaro in the Clare Valley, and 59.2 at Laura in the Northern Mount Lofty Ranges east of Port Pirie.
Flooding was reported between Clare and Leasingham, parts of the Main North Road were under water, and at least three houses had to be sandbagged at Watervale.
15. 16-29 September 2016
On 28 September 2016, South Australia experienced an extreme weather event which brought thunderstorms, destructive winds, large hailstones and heavy rain.
Between 3.00pm and 4.00pm tornados moved across the State, primarily in the Mid-North, which damaged 23 transmission towers and at 3.48pm triggered a State-wide power outage – a black system event.
Whilst power was restored to Adelaide and its environs within several hours, large areas of the State remained without power for several days.
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Heavy rain, ground is saturated, dams threatening to burst, rivers overflowing, many roads blocked,
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Starts to flood in many areas including Langhorne Creek, Clare and Onkaparinga, Gawler and South Para Rivers
A significant thunderstorm passed over the town of Clare north of Adelaide that dropped 34.6 mm of rain with most of that falling between 3.45 pm and 4.30 pm on the afternoon of the 28 September. The storm dropped 18.6 mm of rain between 3.47 pm and 4 pm which is more than 1 mm per minute.
Storm damage occurred at Melrose in the Flinders Ranges, Blyth and Clare and the towns of Blyth and Cleve were affected by significant hailstorms.
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