A line of severe storms first marched into South Australia during the early morning UTC hours of September 28 (afternoon local time) bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 120 km/h / 74.5 mph (some of the strongest winds the state has ever seen). In a short period, the storm produced more than 100 000 lightning strikes and several confirmed tornadoes. Shortly after, the entire South Australia and its 1.7 million residents were left without power.