By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and WILLIAM TON AND ANDREW STAFFORD FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Bureau of Meteorology's upgraded website, which cost almost $100million to roll out, failed right when South Australians needed it in the middle of brutal weather.
'Some observation and forecasting information is unavailable,' a message on the bureau's website read on Saturday.
'Bureau technicians are currently working on a resolution.'
It is understood the website crashed and then failed to record rainfall levels from about 5.30am until it was eventually fixed in the evening.
The fault came as people in South Australia were warned about a deluge of rain and severe thunderstorms.
Forecasters warned the severe weather could lead to flash-flooding in parts of the north, west and southeast of the state.
Those affected wrote to The Advertiser expressing their dismay at the bureau's technical issue, with one reader rating the webpage a 'big fat zero'.
'Unbelievable. The day it rains and we need to check rainfalls for safety when travelling, the BOM website is not recording rainfall levels,' another user said.
A third person commented on the high cost of the bureau's website upgrade.
'Isn't it amazing that after spending $96m, the BOM can't show me how much rain we had overnight? Thank heavens for the old rain gauge,' they said.
It was revealed in November last year that the major redesign and launch of the bureau's website cost taxpayers $96million.
The staggering fee was significantly higher than the figure originally declared: $4.1million.
It is understood the initial number did not include a $78million website design contract for 'private consultation' by Accenture Australia.
Responding to queries about the technical difficulties, a spokesperson for the bureau confirmed late on Saturday that the issue had been resolved.
'All forecasts, warnings, and observation information are now showing on the BOM App and Bureau website,' they told the Daily Mail.
'Bureau technicians were made aware of a fault that has now been resolved.'
A spokesperson for the bureau confirmed late on Saturday that the issue had been resolved.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has warned residents to prepare for the risks that lie ahead for the state.
'When we start to see rain events north of 50, 60, 80ml, that starts to represent the sort of conditions where we will see flash flooding,' he said.
'If we see that volume of rain in a short period of time, then we should anticipate flash-flooding events throughout the state.'
A severe weather warning for heavy and locally intense rainfall has been issued for much of the state.
This includes Adelaide, Mount Lofty Ranges, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Kangaroo Island, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East, Lower South East, North East Pastoral and parts of West Coast and North West Pastoral districts.
Central Australia's big wet is slowly but surely headed south.
Senior Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jon Fischer said the slow-moving tropical low - which has sat over the Simpson Desert in the southeast Northern Territory for a week - was highly unusual.
'We've all seen images of roads being washed away, impacts to the rail line and usually dry creeks turning into torrents,' Mr Fischer said.
The system is forecast to move southeast over the course of the weekend, with a flood watch issued for all catchments across the state.
Adelaide was expected to feel the effects late on Sunday and overnight into Monday morning.
Flood warnings remain for large parts of central Australia, with much of the water flowing into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.