COLD fronts and low pressure troughs extending across the interior, western and eastern parts of the country brought showers and storms, some severe, to large parts of Australia during the week, with the heaviest rainfall across parts of northern Australia.

Tropical North Queensland had weekly rainfall totals exceeding 300 mm along the coast between Townsville and Cairns, with some areas recording totals greater than 400 mm.

Isolated areas of north-west Western Australia, eastern and northern parts of the Top End of the Northern Territory, and the Gulf of Carpentaria and south-west in Queensland had weekly totals exceeding 200 mm and large areas of northern, central and western Queensland, western Northern Territory, and the north of South Australia had totals of more than 100 mm.

Parts of eastern and central New South Wales, eastern Victoria, and western Tasmania had weekly totals of more than 25 mm, and more than 50 mm along the ranges in Victoria.

The highest weekly total (at a Bureau gauge) was 1037.6 mm at Cardwell Range in Queensland, which included the highest daily total (at a Bureau gauge) of 402.8 mm in the 24 hours to 9 am on 20 March.