NSW floods crisis: Raindrops just keep falling in Sydney

This week’s downpour has put Sydney back on track to mark its wettest year since meteorological records began.

A resident drives through floodwaters along the overflowing Nepean River in western Sydney on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

This week’s downpour has put Sydney back on track to mark its wettest year since meteorological records began.

The city’s annual rainfall is almost four weeks ahead of the current record year, 1950, with Observatory Hill having recorded 1768.6mm of rain so far in 2022.

By July 31, 1950, 1764.7mm had fallen at the city’s primary weather station on the way to an annual total of 2194mm.

Sydney’s annual average rainfall of 1211.3 was exceeded on April 7. Eight days this year have topped 50mm, including Monday this week as torrential rain brought a fourth floods crisis in 18 months to the city’s northwest, west and southwest.

The July drenching – 221.2mm in five days – comes after the city had a respite from the rain in June, with only 16.8mm falling.

Sydney’s July total is dwarfed by locations on the NSW south coast, which have received up to 800mm since the month began.