HIGH-PRESSURE systems to the south of Australia brought settled conditions with little rain across most of the country, while south-easterly airflow resulted in scattered showers along the east coast early in the week.

A low pressure system off the east coast brought showers and rain over large areas of eastern Australia between the 15th and 17th, followed by a low-pressure trough off the New South Wales coast on May 18, which brought heavy rainfall in the Hunter and Sydney Metro districts.

Isolated pockets in south-eastern Queensland and along parts of the NSW coast recorded more than 50mm for the week, and coastal areas of Hunter and Sydney Metro districts recorded more than 100mm.

A strong cold front crossed south-eastern Australia on May 16-17, bringing rain and showers, with weekly totals up to 25mm in western Tasmania but mostly less than 10mm in South Australia and Victoria.

The highest daily total at a Bureau gauge was 126mm at Balcolyn near Morriset, NSW, in the 24 hours to 9am on May 19, and the highest weekly total at a Bureau gauge was 178mm at Swansea, nearby in NSW.