HOMEOWNERS are tallying the cost to their properties after ferocious winds tore a path of destruction across large parts of the state.

Gusts of up to 111km/h barraged the metropolitan and southern areas as up to 17,000 homes and businesses suffered power blackouts.

State Emergency Service state duty officer Ian Bonython said volunteers were busier than anticipated.

“We were expecting a similar event to what we had the other Sunday, when we finished up with about 200 tasks and we are currently on 370 at 6pm, and that’s since 11am,” Mr Bonython said.

“The majority of the calls have been from the Adelaide Hills and metropolitan area and the Fleurieu Peninsula.”

Mr Bonython said despite the widespread damage, most property owners were lucky not to suffer severe damage.

“Predominantly we’ve had trees down, where the branches have come down or trees have been uprooted, across roads and onto structures,” he said.

“We had one at Rostrevor where a quite large willow tree has come down and done some structural damage to roof tiles, but we haven’t had anything that has been significant damage to structures luckily.”

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Forestville resident Paul Cowan was among dozens of residents who will be in contact with their insurance companies after a large tree fell into the front yard of his Nairne Tce home.

“Around about 1.30pm it fell and put the branch right on to the car and across the veranda, just before I was about to come out and move it,” Mr Cowan said.

“I was in my room getting my shoes on and then I just looked out and I noticed that the greenery was lower than it was before.

“That’s what you’ve got insurance for, hopefully I don’t have a bump or too many scratches, but I’ve got a strong suspicion that’s not the case.”

The occupants of a unit on Florence St at Goodwood were lucky to escape serious injury when their ceiling collapsed about 3pm.

A car in the front yard of a home on Berlin Ave at Aberfoyle Park suffered significant damage when a tree branch fell on it, while a home on nearby Wilma Ct was damaged when a tree came crashing into it.

Norton Summit Rd from Teringie to the Scenic Hotel was closed because multiple trees have fallen across powerlines.

There have been several reports of roofs being lifted and even trampolines blowing into power lines in the south of the state.

At Eden Hills a roof has been blown off the second storey of a property.

Strong winds hit 85km/h in the city, where winds brought down a large awning over the Cibo coffee shop in Waymouth St, leaving it dangling by a thread.

The wild weather also forced the cancellation of the final day of the new Asiafest festival.

“Safety is our foremost concern for all involved,” the festival announced via Twitter.

Despite numerous trees falling across roads and onto stationary vehicles, there had been no reports of motorists being hit by branches.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Brett Gage said the winds were among the strongest experienced in recent years.

“Spring is when we get these cold fronts, but this was a particularly vigorous one,” Mr Gage said.

“It was mostly the south-central parts of the state, Strathalbyn and Hindmarsh Island were the strongest gusts at 111km/h, followed by Adelaide Airport at 109km/h.”

The front had passed through the southeast of the state towards the Victorian border by about 6pm.

“It will settle down, we have a high moving into The Bight, so the winds will ease fairly rapidly,” Mr Gage said.

“A high will move over the state on Wednesday so we will be down to fairly light winds across the state by then.”

Fears the winds would wreak havoc on the state’s grain and cherry crops were unfounded, Grain Producers SA president Garry Hansen said.

“I don’t think the winds would have done much damage because the crops are mostly

still a way off harvesting,” Mr Hansen said.

“We had to stop mowing our hay today because the wind was so strong and blowing

the windrows around.”

Mr Hansen said grain growers were fortunate the high forecast temperatures did not eventuate in the Upper South East.

Cherry Growers SA president Andrew Flavell said the wind had only caused minimal damage to trees.

“We were lucky, if it had been another three weeks, it would have caused a serious problem,” Mr Flavell said.

Thunderstorms have already hit the Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island as a band ahead of the front moves eastwards.

*People with tickets to Sumo Mania at Asiafest can get a full refund through Ticketek. For tickets bought at the gate, email Greg@asiafest.com.au

Unfortunately due to severe wind warnings, the final day of ASIAFEST has been cancelled. Safety is our foremost concern for all involved. — ASIAFEST (@ASIAFEST2014) October 6, 2014