Adelaide endured a fourth scorcher in a row in a record-breaking heatwave but relief finally arrived late on Thursday as a cool change swept the state.
Parts of the city had maximums above 40C while a swag of regional towns continued to swelter with tops in the mid to high 40s.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the cool change began to move through Adelaide in the afternoon and would become more established overnight.
The city was forecast to have a more mild top of 29C on Friday.
But the relief was expected to be short-lived with temperatures to return to the high 30s early next week.
And no relief was expected in the north of the state with temperatures to continue to reach the mid-to-high 40s over the next seven days.
Among the hottest spots on Thursday were Marree with 47.6C and Moomba with 47.1C.
Maximums across SA have been running 10 to 14 degrees above average.
Some regional centres posted record highs on Tuesday, including Port Augusta and Tarcoola where the mercury climbed close to 50C.
SA's State Emergency Service maintained an Extreme Heatwave Emergency Warning and the state government declared a Code Red during the very hot conditions.
The Code Red triggered extra funding so services for the homeless could be extended while a special phone line also operated to provide regular checks on the elderly and others at risk.
Both were expected to be withdrawn on Friday.
SA Health said over the past 48 hours, 34 people had presented at hospital emergency departments with heat-related issues with 12 of those admitted for further treatment.
