THE true extent of damage caused by the October 28 storm to the Loxton Waikerie region’s citrus orchards will not be known until February or March, but a senior local grower says the industry is counting its blessings.

A series of intense thunderstorms ripped through Waikerie and Loxton last month, generating damaging winds in both towns, large hailstones and localised heavy falls of rain. 

Citrus SA chair Mark Doecke, who has a fruit property at Sunlands, near Waikerie, said the most serious damage caused was to protective netting on a property at Pyap – near Loxton – and at Golden Heights.

But he said overall damage to citrus appeared minor at this stage. 

Mr Doecke said hail on the Pyap fruit block ripped overhead netting and damaged citrus trees on the property. 

The winds at Waikerie on Thursday also blew over a vertical net sheltering citrus trees on a property on Perry Road. 

Mr Doecke said the estimated cost of the destruction caused to both nets would substantial.

“It would be hundreds of thousands for the Pyap one, and the best part of $100,000 for the Perry Road one,” he said. 

Mr Doecke said it was fortunate for the citrus industry that the tornado-like winds and hail did not occur prior to picking in autumn or during harvest in winter.

“The damage to fruit in a hail event would be minimal and the damage on the fruitlets, they are just going to get knocked off and the trees do that anyway,” he said.

“The trees drop fruit flat off right now.”

Mr Doecke said a more accurate picture of the damage would become more apparent early next year.

“We will only see the potential damage in February or March when we can see the fruitlet grown out to oranges,” he said.

“Then we will see if there is damage.”