A CLOUD band brought unseasonable rain across northern Australia early in the week, starting in the central Northern Territory during on 29 June, before tracking from the base of the Top End, through much of through much of inland northern Queensland, and along the east coast regions in the latter part of the week.

Rainfall for 1–4 July across the base of the Top End and into Queensland’s Gulf Country had already reached more than 5 times the July monthly average in many areas, with multiple stations in the Top End observing record July daily rainfall.

In the south of the country, an East Coast Low brought heavy rain and wild weather in New South Wales from 1 July into the end of the week, resulting in flash flooding and riverine flooding affecting areas from the Hunter Valley to the Illawarra coast.

Parts of the Hawkesbury–Nepean catchment received more than 5 times their average July rainfall during 1–4 July.

The highest daily total was 298 mm at Darkes Forest (Kintyre), between Sydney and Wollongong, for the 24 hours to 9am on 3 July (a daily rainfall record for July, from 126 years of observations), with many other sites reporting daily totals in excess of 150 mm and setting daily rainfall records for July.

The highest weekly total was at a Bureau station was 582.6 mm at Beaumont (The Cedars), near Nowra in New South Wales.

The highest weekly totals were restricted to small pockets, reaching 200 to 400 mm over an area between Sydney and the Illawarra, and 100 mm to in excess of 200 mm in a small band stretching inland from Rockhampton to Hughenden in Queensland, and pockets of Queensland’s North Tropical Coast.

Weekly rainfall totals of 15 to 50 mm were observed in a band stretching from the north-west of the Top End across to the east coast of Queensland; in parts of north-east New South Wales, extending south along the coast to around Bega and into central New South Wales; and in western Tasmania.