Like a huge sash across the continent, a massive northwest cloudband has produced soaking rain over large parts of the country, with more rain likely in the next day or two.
During the weekend, this vast system produced rain in all states and territories of Australia, as an upper level trough combined with a tropical moisture feed.
Notable rainfall totals in the 24 hours to 9am Monday included:
Queensland
106mm at Natural Bridge, the popular swimming hole about an hour west of the Gold Coast hinterland in the Numinbah Valley.
Numerous falls between 25 and 50mm in far SW Qld, where it’s highly unusual to see heavy rain at this time of year.
Numerous falls between 10 and 25mm in NW Qld, where heavy wet season rain is common, but significant May rain is unusual.
NSW/ACT
106mm at Limpinwood (Bald Mountain) in the state's northeast, just over the border from the Natural Bridge stationed mentioned above.
39mm at Borrona Downs in the state's northwest.
Useful falls around 15mm at multiple locations in central and northern inland areas, large parts of which have been exceptionally dry so far this year.
Only light falls were recorded in the ACT and southern NSW, with 3.4mm at Canberra Airport.
Image: Rainfall deciles in NSW from January to April, 2026. Some but not all of the red-shaded areas with recent rainfall-deficiencies saw useful rain over the weekend. Source: BoM.
Victoria
Numerous very healthy falls in the 25 to 50mm range in the North Central forecast district (just north of Melbourne) and nearby areas.
Melbourne itself had widespread falls of 10-25mm in central and eastern parts of the city, with falls tapering off around the CBD and suburbs further west.
Melbourne’s official weather station at Olympic Park was right near the boundary of the heaviest rain and recorded only 6.6mm.
Tasmania
40.2mm At Wynyard Airport on the NW coast, which is not where you often see the state’s highest daily rainfall total, except in a northerly flow with tropical moisture as occurred this weekend.
15.8mm in Hobart, which doesn’t sound particularly heavy, but which was the city’s heaviest daily fall to date in 2026.
Western Australia
You rarely speak of WA and Tasmanian weather in the same breath, but the NW tip of the vast cloudband that brought heavy rain to Tasmania was responsible for unseasonably heavy falls in the eastern Kimberley, including 64mm at Parry Creek Farm.
Northern Territory
Tennant Creek Airport received 14.4mm, which exceeded its May monthly average of 8.6mm in a day.
Alice Springs Airport received 10.6mm.
South Australia
South Australia saw mostly light falls in the 24 hours to 9am Monday, as the main body of the rainband had moved east by then. But it was a different story a day earlier.
Image: Water vapour over Australia showing the moisture feed over South Australia on the morning of Saturday, May 16, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.
In the 24 hours to Sunday morning, the tropical moisture feed shown in the loop above produced 20mm in Adelaide, after 11.8mm the previous day.
Adelaide has now amassed 52.2mm for May 2026 (long-term monthly average 67.4mm).
What's next with this system?
"Widespread rain will continue over NSW/ACT and Qld today, along with abnormally cool daytime temperatures beneath the thick northwest cloudband," Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino says.
"The heaviest rain today and tonight will be in northeast NSW and southeast Qld, where another 50-100mm could fall over the next 24 hours, with isolated falls possibly exceeding 200mm. This is on top of what's already fallen.
"Rain will ease on Tuesday afternoon and night as the low moves offshore."
A flood watch is in place for parts of the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers districts in NSW today. At this stage, only isolated minor flooding is expected. Please check the latest on the Weatherzone warnings page.