August is one of the driest months in Sydney with an average rainfall of just 80mm. However, on an early August day 30 years ago (in 1986), a stationary east coast low just off Norah Head gave the city its wettest day on record. In a 12 hour period on 5th of August 1986, a remarkable 245mm fell - and only on one other occasion in the last 155 years has more than fallen in a full 24 hour period.
By 9 am the next morning, the total stood at 327.6mm. In a 24 hour period but not to 9am, 341mm had fallen. This is far higher than any 24 hour total in any Australian capital city except for one January day in Brisbane way back in 1887 when 465mm fell in 24 hours.
Other capital cities in Australia are way behind. Melbourne has only topped 100mm twice and their highest 24 hour fall stands at 113.4mm on 3rd of February 2005. Adelaide's only 24 hour period with more than 100mm was on 7th of February 1925 when 141.5mm fell, while Hobart's highest 24 hour fall was 147.3mm on 7th of June 1954. In Perth, their only day with more than 100mm was on 9th of February 1992 when 120.6mm of rain was recorded. Canberra has topped 100mm twice – their heaviest fall being 126mm on 15th of March 1989. It was only as recent as 16th of February 2011, that even the tropical city of Darwin beat Sydney’s record, with 367.6mm fall on that day 5 years ago.
In NSW, 500mm of rain in a day has been recorded on just 19 occasions, but on only two occasions in the last 30 years. These falls were almost exclusively in the coastal ranges of the north and Illawarra coasts. The state record rainfall 24 hour of 809.2mm as recorded in Dorrigo, on 21st of February 1952. The Australian record is an estimated 1,147mm at Bellenden Ker Top Station – a mountain site to the SW of Cairns in Northern Queensland on 4th of January 1979.
The world record 24 hour rainfall is an incredible 1,825mm at the mountain site of Foc-Foc, in the Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean during the passage of a tropical cyclone on 8th of January 1966.
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30 Cities With The Most Rainy/Snowy Days
- Hilo, HI — 276 days per year.
- Cold Bay, AK — 236 days per year.
- Yakutat, AK — 228 days per year.
- Annette, AK — 226 days per year.
- Juneau, AK — 224 days per year.
- Mt. Washington, NH — 213 days per year.
- St. Paul Island, AK — 208 days per year.
- Quillayute, WA — 207 days per year.
The wettest city in the world is Buenaventura, where it rains 258 days per year. Australia's rainiest city is Cairns in Queensland, with 117 days of precipitation. The UK's wettest city is Londonderry in Northern Ireland (147 days). The wettest city in the US is Hilo, Hawaii (211 days).
What does 40% mean in the weather app? ›
If a forecast for a given county says that there is a 40% chance of rain this afternoon, then there is a 40% chance of rain at any point in the county from noon to 6 p.m. local time.
What is the wettest capital city in the world? ›
According to the Köppen climate classification, Monrovia has a tropical monsoon climate (Am). It is the wettest capital city in the world, with annual rainfall averaging 182 in (4,600 mm). It has a wet season and a dry season, but gets precipitation even during the dry season.
Which US state has the most rainy days? ›
Hawaii. Hawaii, a US state located in Oceania, is the wettest state in the country. Hawaii is an island group that is part of Polynesia, a group of islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Hawaii has hundreds of islands occupying a total area of about 28,311 square km.
Which city got the most rain? ›
The correct answer is Mawsynram. Mawsynram, a village in the Indian state of Meghalaya, which receives an average annual rainfall of 11,871 mm (467.4 in). Mawsynram holds the Guinness World Record for the highest annual rainfall ever recorded in a calendar year (26,471 mm or 1,042.2 in in 1985).
What does 80% chance of rain mean? ›
An “80% chance of rain” means an 80% chance that rain will fall somewhere within the forecasted area. Rain refers to 0.01 inch or more of water falling from the sky.
What does 100% rain mean? ›
When you see a "100% chance of rain," it doesn't mean it's going to pour everywhere, all the time. Think of it like this: the forecasters are super confident that rain will fall somewhere within a certain area, but they're not sure exactly where or for how long.
What does 75% chance of rain mean? ›
A chance of rain refers to a probability between 30% and 50%. A likely chance of rain would be between 60% and 70%. And with any probability of precipitation higher than 75%, the forecaster has the option of describing it as “periods of rain,” “occasional rain” or simply “rain,” Blier said.
Where on Earth gets the most rain? ›
Mawsynram, India
Located in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, Mawsynram is celebrated as the wettest place on Earth, receiving so much rain that its average annual rainfall reaches a staggering 11,871 millimeters. Its proximity to the Bay of Bengal is a significant factor in this deluge.
Mawsynram is a town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in northeastern India, 60.9 kilometers from Shillong. Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in India as well as in the world. It is reportedly the wettest place on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,872 mm.
Is there a place where it rains everyday? ›
Mawsynram and Cherrapunji are just 10 miles apart, but Mawsynram beats its competitor by a mere 4 inches of rainfall. Although it doesn't rain all day in Meghalaya, it does rain every day, Chapple told weather.com. The heavy rainfall is due to summer air currents that sweep over the steaming flood plains of Bangladesh.
What place has the most rainfall in 24 hours? ›
Greatest rainfall in 24 hours
The biggest rainfall in a day occurred with the passage of Cyclone Denise in Foc-Foc, La Réunion, an island in the southern Indian Ocean. Some 1.825 meters (71.8 inches) of rain fell over 24 hours, from January 7 to 8, 1966.
What is the highest daily rainfall in USA? ›
The greatest 24-hour rainfall on record anywhere in the United States occurred on April 14-15, 2018, when 49.69” flooded Waipa Garden on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.
Where has it rained the longest? ›
An incredible 331 consecutive days of measurable rainfall were recorded at Manuawili Ranch, Maui, in 1939-40.
Is Seattle the rainiest city in the US? ›
The first chart below depicts the wettest cities ranked by total precipitation: At 37.7 inches of precipitation annually, Seattle ranks 32nd among the nation's 50 largest cities.
