Extreme rain in Australia, 3 to 8 January 2020
Extreme rain in Australia, 3 to 8 January 2020: 152 records at 144 stations, peak on 6 January 2020. Closed.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-17).
Key Facts
- Extreme rain in Australia, 3 to 8 January 2020 set or tied 152 station records at 144 stations.
- It ran from 3 January 2020 to 8 January 2020 (6 days) and its peak day was 6 January 2020.
- Status: closed.
- Bruce set a daily record precipitation of 38.8 mm (1.5 in) on 6 January 2020.
- The busiest day was 6 January 2020 with 89 records.
- The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 134 years.
Footprint
3 to 8 January 2020| Station | Type | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce | Record daily precipitation | 38.8 mm (1.5 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Booleroo Centre (Willowie) | Record daily precipitation | 32.0 mm (1.3 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Terowie | Record daily precipitation | 35.0 mm (1.4 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Woomera (South Gap Station) | Record daily precipitation | 30.0 mm (1.2 in) | 2020-01-05 |
| Morchard (the Rocks) | Record daily precipitation | 35.2 mm (1.4 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Quorn (Depot Flat) | Record daily precipitation | 40.0 mm (1.6 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Whyte Yarcowie | Record daily precipitation | 37.0 mm (1.5 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Orroroo (Black Rock) | Record daily precipitation | 30.8 mm (1.2 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Ceduna Post Office | Record daily precipitation | 13.0 mm (0.5 in) | 2020-01-04 |
| Ceduna (Goode) | Record daily precipitation | 17.8 mm (0.7 in) | 2020-01-05 |
| Butler Tanks (North Parnda) | Record daily precipitation | 17.8 mm (0.7 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Booleroo Centre | Record daily precipitation | 21.2 mm (0.8 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Carrieton | Record daily precipitation | 21.0 mm (0.8 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Carrieton (Eurelia) | Record daily precipitation | 23.8 mm (0.9 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Port Germein | Record daily precipitation | 12.0 mm (0.5 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Wirrabara | Record daily precipitation | 16.6 mm (0.7 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Farrell Flat | Record daily precipitation | 16.6 mm (0.7 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Gladstone | Record daily precipitation | 17.0 mm (0.7 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Jamestown | Record daily precipitation | 23.2 mm (0.9 in) | 2020-01-06 |
| Moorook | Record daily precipitation | 11.6 mm (0.5 in) | 2020-01-06 |
Records per Day
Peak day 89| Date | Records |
|---|---|
| 2020-01-03 | 2 |
| 2020-01-04 | 17 |
| 2020-01-05 | 41 |
| 2020-01-06 | 89 |
| 2020-01-07 | 2 |
| 2020-01-08 | 1 |
Top Records by Margin
Margin over the record replacedMargin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.
Margin Against Age of the Broken Record
| Margin (mm) | Years the old record stood |
|---|---|
| 32 | 101 |
| 27 | 96 |
| 22 | 104 |
| 14 | 104 |
| 17 | 96 |
| 9 | 97 |
| 13 | 96 |
| 11 | 96 |
| 31 | 44 |
| 9 | 104 |
| 34 | 60 |
| 10 | 104 |
| 9 | 104 |
| 8 | 84 |
| 10 | 96 |
| 10 | 104 |
| 7 | 134 |
| 6 | 97 |
| 10 | 85 |
| 6 | 122 |
| 11 | 84 |
| 6 | 96 |
| 3 | 97 |
| 5 | 96 |
| 6 | 134 |
| 6 | 96 |
| 8 | 85 |
| 7 | 80 |
| 21 | 48 |
| 2 | 104 |
| 1 | 124 |
| 2 | 128 |
| 1 | 104 |
| 5 | 92 |
| 2 | 104 |
| 6 | 84 |
| 1 | 117 |
| 6 | 80 |
| 1 | 97 |
| 1 | 97 |
| 1 | 97 |
| 19 | 21 |
| 3 | 85 |
| 4 | 80 |
| 6 | 84 |
| 6 | 80 |
| 3 | 85 |
| 4 | 74 |
| 3 | 80 |
| 1 | 92 |
| 11 | 44 |
| 18 | 29 |
| 3 | 80 |
| 1 | 86 |
| 1 | 80 |
| 14 | 38 |
| 1 | 80 |
| 23 | 2 |
| 0 | 80 |
| 10 | 48 |
| 10 | 48 |
| 1 | 72 |
| 2 | 68 |
| 8 | 53 |
| 10 | 48 |
| 13 | 28 |
| 0 | 68 |
| 13 | 48 |
| 13 | 20 |
| 0 | 68 |
| 23 | 8 |
| 1 | 66 |
| 23 | 21 |
| 1 | 60 |
| 14 | 28 |
| 4 | 52 |
| 9 | 28 |
| 5 | 53 |
| 6 | 48 |
| 4 | 48 |
| 0 | 68 |
| 7 | 20 |
| 19 | 12 |
| 7 | 48 |
| 5 | 48 |
| 5 | 48 |
| 7 | 45 |
| 9 | 24 |
| 5 | 48 |
| 16 | 12 |
| 9 | 28 |
| 10 | 28 |
| 4 | 49 |
| 5 | 48 |
| 17 | 2 |
| 9 | 16 |
| 1 | 50 |
| 3 | 48 |
| 6 | 48 |
| 6 | 24 |
| 14 | 21 |
| 7 | 21 |
| 12 | 21 |
| 5 | 28 |
| 1 | 48 |
| 9 | 28 |
| 7 | 20 |
| 1 | 48 |
| 0 | 48 |
| 4 | 21 |
| 3 | 18 |
| 1 | 49 |
| 11 | 12 |
| 0 | 48 |
| 0 | 48 |
| 2 | 41 |
| 0 | 45 |
| 4 | 21 |
| 4 | 28 |
| 6 | 28 |
| 6 | 21 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 4 | 28 |
| 2 | 34 |
| 5 | 21 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 0 | 28 |
| 2 | 28 |
| 4 | 24 |
| 1 | 28 |
| 8 | 14 |
| 6 | 20 |
| 3 | 20 |
| 3 | 16 |
| 4 | 21 |
| 1 | 24 |
| 0 | 25 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 0 | 21 |
| 2 | 16 |
| 1 | 28 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 12 |
| 0 | 24 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 1 | 16 |
| 1 | 14 |
| 1 | 12 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 0 | 16 |
| 1 | 16 |
| 1 | 5 |
Compared With Other Events
Station records per event| Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 23 February to 15 March 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Extreme rain in United States, 3 to 19 January 2024 | |
| Extreme rain in Australia, 7 to 26 March 2021 | |
| Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 29 September to 19 October 2018 | |
| Extreme rain in United States, 19 December 2022 to 13 January 2023 | |
| Extreme rain in Australia, 3 to 8 January 2020 (this event) |
Every Record Set
20 of 152| Date | Station | Record | Value | Margin | Years stood | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-01-04 | Ceduna Post Office | Record daily precipitation | 13.0 mm (0.5 in) | 8.4 mm (0.33 in) | 84 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-05 | Woomera (South Gap Station) | Record daily precipitation | 30.0 mm (1.2 in) | 14.0 mm (0.6 in) | 104 | 52 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2020-01-05 | Ceduna (Goode) | Record daily precipitation | 17.8 mm (0.7 in) | 5.6 mm (0.22 in) | 97 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Bruce | Record daily precipitation | 38.8 mm (1.5 in) | 32.4 mm (1.3 in) | 101 | 71 of 100 (Major) |
| 2020-01-06 | Booleroo Centre (Willowie) | Record daily precipitation | 32.0 mm (1.3 in) | 26.7 mm (1.1 in) | 96 | 63 of 100 (Major) |
| 2020-01-06 | Terowie | Record daily precipitation | 35.0 mm (1.4 in) | 21.8 mm (0.9 in) | 104 | 62 of 100 (Major) |
| 2020-01-06 | Morchard (the Rocks) | Record daily precipitation | 35.2 mm (1.4 in) | 31.0 mm (1.2 in) | 44 | 50 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2020-01-06 | Quorn (Depot Flat) | Record daily precipitation | 40.0 mm (1.6 in) | 33.6 mm (1.3 in) | 60 | 49 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2020-01-06 | Whyte Yarcowie | Record daily precipitation | 37.0 mm (1.5 in) | 9.1 mm (0.36 in) | 104 | 49 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2020-01-06 | Orroroo (Black Rock) | Record daily precipitation | 30.8 mm (1.2 in) | 10.2 mm (0.4 in) | 96 | 48 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2020-01-06 | Butler Tanks (North Parnda) | Record daily precipitation | 17.8 mm (0.7 in) | 8.9 mm (0.35 in) | 97 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Booleroo Centre | Record daily precipitation | 21.2 mm (0.8 in) | 12.6 mm (0.5 in) | 96 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Carrieton | Record daily precipitation | 21.0 mm (0.8 in) | 17.4 mm (0.7 in) | 96 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Carrieton (Eurelia) | Record daily precipitation | 23.8 mm (0.9 in) | 9.6 mm (0.38 in) | 104 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Port Germein | Record daily precipitation | 12.0 mm (0.5 in) | 7.4 mm (0.29 in) | 134 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Wirrabara | Record daily precipitation | 16.6 mm (0.7 in) | 9.2 mm (0.36 in) | 104 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Farrell Flat | Record daily precipitation | 16.6 mm (0.7 in) | 9.7 mm (0.38 in) | 104 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Gladstone | Record daily precipitation | 17.0 mm (0.7 in) | 10.1 mm (0.4 in) | 85 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Jamestown | Record daily precipitation | 23.2 mm (0.9 in) | 11.0 mm (0.4 in) | 96 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2020-01-06 | Moorook | Record daily precipitation | 11.6 mm (0.5 in) | 6.0 mm (0.24 in) | 122 | 20 of 100 (Routine) |
The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 152 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.
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Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.