Steady rain fell either side of lunchtime on Friday in Adelaide with further showers likely into the evening, meaning the South Australian capital has now recorded rain for 10 days straight.

But locals in Adelaide and much of southern SA would still have reason to feel frustrated. That's because while rain has been coming frequently, the totals have not added up to much.

• To 9 am Friday (so not including today's rain), Adelaide had seen 12 wet days to date in July 2024. That's right on average.
• Yet the falls have been fairly light, and the July running total of 28 mm to 9 am Friday is less than half the long-term monthly average for July of 65.6 mm.
• As we write this story at 4 pm Friday local time, a further 5.2 mm has been recorded today. But Adelaide's total monthly rainfall is still barely half the average, despite now exceeding the average number of rain days.

This might appear to be nitpicking. Sometimes it rains heavily, sometimes it rains frequently, sometimes you get both. In Australia’s driest capital city, you take what you can get.

But Adelaide gardens and reservoirs have been desperate for a really good soaking of the type Perth received this week when it received 43.8 mm, its wettest day in over a year.

Image: Adelaide rain graph for the last 12 months.

• Indeed, Adelaide has seen just two days since January with 10 mm or more. Those were both in June. Little wonder that Adelaide's (and SA's) largest water storage – Mt Bold Reservoir – is just 30% full at present. 
• And don't forget that Adelaide had a 46-day rainless streak from late January to mid-March.

The good news for those hoping for more rain is that further showery weather can be expected over the weekend. A brief dry break will follow early in the new week before more rain arrives midweek next week as the next cold front arrives. That system brings with it the possibility of heavier falls.

The other good news is that all southern SA forecast districts have seen at least some rain so far this Friday. Only the North East Pastoral and North West Pastoral forecasts districts have been dry.