Record-breaking rain and flash flooding hit South Australia, Victoria and NSW in once-in-a-generation weather event

From extreme heat to record rain

Only weeks ago, inland Australia was sweltering through temperatures in the high 40s, with some locations reaching 50C. Then the sky changed. Moisture surged across the outback.

A slow-moving system, the remnants of a tropical low embedded in a lingering monsoon trough, moved east and unleashed widespread rain across South Australia, western Victoria and western and southern New South Wales.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore described it as “a very impressive and in some areas record-breaking rainfall event." He said the atmosphere in desert towns had become “unbelievably moist," more typical of Darwin or Cairns than the arid interior.

“It was almost like weather whiplash," he said.

Towns soaked by a year’s worth of rain

Dozens of inland communities received more rain in a week than during the entire previous year. Nearly 150mm fell in Mildura, Victoria, within a week, compared with 159mm recorded through all of 2025. In Marree, South Australia, 136mm fell, against just 37mm last year.

Several towns experienced their wettest day on record: Ouyen, Victoria, recorded 92.6mm on 25 February. Ceduna, South Australia, measured 75mm on 28 February. Yunta, South Australia, received 126.8mm on 1 March.

Overnight totals were intense. Braemar, South Australia, recorded 149mm. Yunta recorded 129mm. McCoys Well measured 125mm. Horsham, Victoria, received 126mm between Friday morning and Sunday morning.

The Bureau issued severe weather warnings for south-west New South Wales and north-west Victoria, forecasting six-hourly totals of 40 to 70mm, with isolated falls up to 100mm.

Flash flooding and emergency calls

Rainfall rates pushed beyond 50mm in many areas, approaching or exceeding 100mm in some districts. The result was rapid runoff and flash flooding. Creeks rose quickly. Roads disappeared under brown water.

In Eurelia, South Australia, a 47-year-old motorcyclist was washed away after attempting to cross flooded Fodgen’s Creek. The water moved fast.

In Mildura, Victoria, emergency crews handled 143 requests for assistance, part of 392 calls logged between Sunday morning and late Monday morning. Most were linked to flooding, fallen trees and building damage.

Across Victoria, the State Emergency Service responded to 176 requests in 24 hours, including 76 for trees down, 42 for building damage and 40 for flood assistance. In New South Wales, crews answered 103 calls in 24 hours, with 50 in the west and 30 in metropolitan Sydney.

A truck became stranded in floodwaters on the Barrier Highway between Broken Hill, New South Wales, and Peterborough, South Australia. Images shared online showed vehicles stalled in rising water and streets turned into shallow rivers.

The SA SES urged residents to avoid floodwaters. “Be aware that floodwaters may rise rapidly and are likely to be fast moving," the agency said.

Once-in-a-generation intensity

Meteorologist Angus Sharpe described the event in stark terms. “Essentially this is a once-in-a-generation style rain event. The heaviest rain since 2011 is on the cards for multiple regions," he said.

The Bureau issued warnings for heavy, locally intense rainfall across the Riverina and parts of the Upper and Lower Western districts of New South Wales. Dangerous flash flooding was considered most likely in far southern parts of the Lower Western and southwestern Riverina regions.

Areas flagged as vulnerable included Deniliquin, Broken Hill, Hay, Wentworth, Menindee and Balranald. Flood warnings were also issued for Far Western New South Wales and the Lower Murrumbidgee River catchments.

The peak of the event was indicated to occur on Sunday, with the rain band strengthening over Victoria before shifting east and weakening over central New South Wales early in the week.

Agricultural losses mount

While rain often brings relief to dry regions, the timing proved damaging for many grape growers in the Murray, Darling and Swan Hill regions.

Paul Derrico, chief executive of Murray Valley Winegrowers, said most growers received between 100 and 180mm over five days.

“This is just another hammer blow for the industry," Derrico said.

He warned that excessive water uptake before harvest can cause berries to split and lead to bunch rot. Saturated soils may bog down tractors and harvesters.

“They have had the cost of growing those grapes for the last 12 months," he said. “There is potential for them to have little or no income, depending on how badly those grapes are affected."

Lake Eyre and the wider climate context

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is expected to fill for the second consecutive year after the basin recorded its third-wettest February on record. Rivers and tributaries feeding the lake were described as “well and truly swollen."

River ecologist Professor Fran Sheldon of Griffith University noted that sequential wet years can lead to large, and sometimes back-to-back, lake filling events. The largest occurred in 1974.

“But you never know, with this water coming down, 2026 may top it. We will just have to wait and see," she said.

The broader climate context remains significant. In 2025, the third-hottest year on record, global surface air temperatures averaged 1.48C above preindustrial levels. Scientists have linked increasing vulnerability to extreme rainfall and flooding to the climate crisis, with warmer oceans providing greater moisture for intense downpours.

As this rain band clears southern and central Australia by midweek, multiple tropical lows are forecast to develop across the north. The pattern remains active. The ground remains saturated.