THROUGHOUT the week, a large slow-moving high-pressure system centred south of the mainland  pushed onshore flow and persistent rainfall along parts of the east coast.

Weekly totals of 10mm to locally more than 100mm were recorded along coastal New South Wales and parts of Queensland.

From May 15, tropical moisture from a north-west cloudband brought rainfall across a diagonal band spanning Australia to the south-east, including weekly totals of at least 5mm to 50mm over most of the region, and up to more than 100mm in the north of the Lake Eyre basin.

During the week, cold fronts brought light to moderate rain to some southern areas, with parts of the far south-west coast of Western Australia recording weekly totals of 10-25mm.

The highest weekly total at a Bureau gauge of 247mm was recorded at Topaz Alert, and the highest daily total of 81mm was recorded at Binna Burra Alert and Numinbah Alert, both in Qld, in the 24 hours to 9am on May 18.