Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021

Name: Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021
Start: 2021-10-10
End: 2021-10-20
Location: Australia

Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021: 470 records at 430 stations, peak on 14 October 2021. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-17. Last revised 17 October 2026 (2026-10-17).

Key Facts

Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021 set or tied 470 station records at 430 stations.
It ran from 10 October 2021 to 20 October 2021 (11 days) and its peak day was 14 October 2021.
Status: closed.
Mount Hope (Fairview) set a daily record precipitation of 38.4 mm (1.5 in) on 14 October 2021.
The busiest day was 14 October 2021 with 145 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 131 years.

Footprint

10 to 20 October 2021

The area covered by Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021 is outlined, with 20 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Mount Hope (Fairview)	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	2021-10-14
Gladstone (Old Post Office)	Record daily precipitation	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	2021-10-15
New Italy (Vineyard Haven)	Record daily precipitation	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	2021-10-13
Harwood Island (Harwood Sugar	Record daily precipitation	87.8 mm (3.5 in)	2021-10-13
Yeelana (Brimpton Lake)	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	2021-10-14
Ormley	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	2021-10-15
Kolora (Wooriwyrite)	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	2021-10-14
Kellevie	Record daily precipitation	50.2 mm (2.0 in)	2021-10-15
Orford South	Record daily precipitation	30.8 mm (1.2 in)	2021-10-15
Pennyroyal Creek	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	2021-10-14
Bicheno (Council Depot)	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	2021-10-15
Fingal (Legge Street)	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	2021-10-14
Coles Bay (Freycinet)	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	2021-10-15
Kinglake West (Wallaby Creek)	Record daily precipitation	53.6 mm (2.1 in)	2021-10-16
American River (Redbanks)	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	2021-10-14
Harewood	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	2021-10-14
Lilydale Post Office	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	2021-10-15
Tooms Lake (Tooms River)	Record daily precipitation	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	2021-10-15
Mount Wellington	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	2021-10-16
Coulta	Record daily precipitation	24.3 mm (1.0 in)	2021-10-14

Records per Day

Peak day 145

Records set or tied each day from 10 October 2021 to 20 October 2021. The most in one day was 145 on 14 October 2021.

Records per day during Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021
Date	Records
2021-10-10	6
2021-10-11	55
2021-10-12	46
2021-10-13	54
2021-10-14	145
2021-10-15	121
2021-10-16	26
2021-10-17	1
2021-10-18	2
2021-10-19	4
2021-10-20	10

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021 ranked by margin
New Italy (Vineyard Haven), 10-13	55.3 mm (2.2 in)
Harwood Island (Harwood Sugar, 10-13	55.3 mm (2.2 in)
Coles Bay (Freycinet), 10-15	35.0 mm (1.4 in)
Harewood, 10-14	34.6 mm (1.4 in)
Kellevie, 10-15	32.8 mm (1.3 in)
Mount Wellington, 10-16	30.6 mm (1.2 in)
Gladstone (Old Post Office), 10-15	27.8 mm (1.1 in)
Mount Hope (Fairview), 10-14	26.7 mm (1.1 in)
American River (Redbanks), 10-14	25.6 mm (1.0 in)
Tooms Lake (Tooms River), 10-15	21.8 mm (0.9 in)
Bicheno (Council Depot), 10-15	20.5 mm (0.8 in)
Orford South, 10-15	19.4 mm (0.8 in)
Ormley, 10-15	18.2 mm (0.7 in)
Kinglake West (Wallaby Creek), 10-16	17.8 mm (0.7 in)
Lilydale Post Office, 10-15	14.9 mm (0.6 in)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

470 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.

Margin against age of the broken record in Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021
Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
27	108
28	104
55	116
55	94
15	100
18	100
13	104
33	44
19	83
14	104
21	84
18	112
14	108
35	44
26	44
35	72
15	95
22	38
7	126
31	30
13	84
17	92
16	74
15	95
6	108
24	75
14	91
7	116
23	38
51	44
9	96
7	112
10	72
33	50
10	88
7	92
5	126
10	116
5	108
4	131
19	79
5	104
4	108
28	44
6	95
20	34
4	112
34	20
15	92
31	8
6	122
21	44
30	62
4	104
3	120
20	44
14	86
6	116
11	63
3	108
23	32
2	100
2	126
9	87
29	46
8	75
3	116
3	104
21	42
10	64
2	127
21	38
2	127
19	30
1	100
17	72
4	63
2	123
26	11
25	63
14	44
20	44
0	108
1	95
1	108
1	128
0	104
0	116
7	70
21	12
7	64
2	92
17	44
21	46
5	88
15	52
4	86
11	51
14	50
0	96
8	56
4	72
13	70
2	92
15	36
13	32
2	84
6	72
23	48
15	54
9	74
1	87
13	35
5	72
4	72
3	84
5	75
3	75
3	75
3	72
18	12
2	82
11	48
3	72
3	72
23	20
5	68
2	75
3	75
3	72
4	74
16	44
11	50
14	32
3	64
2	72
2	72
8	68
14	40
16	36
8	63
2	75
2	75
15	16
12	20
2	72
2	72
12	44
20	27
10	44
16	34
3	64
4	68
1	75
4	74
1	75
0	75
24	16
13	52
29	36
1	83
20	52
1	75
9	40
11	48
15	50
10	52
12	48
13	46
12	48
5	62
7	44
11	20
9	38
11	47
12	48
1	67
7	62
1	64
15	35
7	51
10	36
17	10
6	44
4	51
20	20
15	11
5	52
21	39
16	38
14	40
2	59
0	72
1	63
4	44
11	38
4	60
1	56
8	51
9	52

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021 compared with similar events
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 23 February to 15 March 2019	2,223 records
Extreme rain in United States, 3 to 19 January 2024	2,133 records
Extreme rain in Australia, 7 to 26 March 2021	2,099 records
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 29 September to 19 October 2018	1,970 records
Extreme rain in United States, 19 December 2022 to 13 January 2023	1,941 records
Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021 (this event)	470 records

Every Record Set

20 of 470

Every record set or tied during Extreme rain in Australia, 10 to 20 October 2021, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2021-10-13	New Italy (Vineyard Haven)	Record daily precipitation	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	55.3 mm (2.2 in)	116	78 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-13	Harwood Island (Harwood Sugar	Record daily precipitation	87.8 mm (3.5 in)	55.3 mm (2.2 in)	94	77 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-14	Mount Hope (Fairview)	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	108	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
2021-10-14	Yeelana (Brimpton Lake)	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	14.6 mm (0.6 in)	100	68 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-14	Kolora (Wooriwyrite)	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	104	65 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-14	Pennyroyal Creek	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	104	60 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-14	Fingal (Legge Street)	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	14.1 mm (0.6 in)	108	59 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-14	American River (Redbanks)	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	44	57 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-14	Harewood	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	34.6 mm (1.4 in)	72	57 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-14	Coulta	Record daily precipitation	24.3 mm (1.0 in)	7.3 mm (0.29 in)	126	20 of 100 (Routine)
2021-10-15	Gladstone (Old Post Office)	Record daily precipitation	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	104	79 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-15	Ormley	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	18.2 mm (0.7 in)	100	67 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-15	Kellevie	Record daily precipitation	50.2 mm (2.0 in)	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	44	63 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-15	Orford South	Record daily precipitation	30.8 mm (1.2 in)	19.4 mm (0.8 in)	83	63 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-15	Bicheno (Council Depot)	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	20.5 mm (0.8 in)	84	60 of 100 (Major)
2021-10-15	Coles Bay (Freycinet)	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	44	59 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-15	Lilydale Post Office	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	14.9 mm (0.6 in)	95	57 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-15	Tooms Lake (Tooms River)	Record daily precipitation	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	38	56 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-16	Kinglake West (Wallaby Creek)	Record daily precipitation	53.6 mm (2.1 in)	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	112	59 of 100 (Notable)
2021-10-16	Mount Wellington	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	30.6 mm (1.2 in)	30	55 of 100 (Notable)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 470 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Related Headlines

Third party news, headline and link only

Download the Data

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.

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
27	108
28	104
55	116
55	94
15	100
18	100
13	104
33	44
19	83
14	104
21	84
18	112
14	108
35	44
26	44
35	72
15	95
22	38
7	126
31	30
13	84
17	92
16	74
15	95
6	108
24	75
14	91
7	116
23	38
51	44
9	96
7	112
10	72
33	50
10	88
7	92
5	126
10	116
5	108
4	131
19	79
5	104
4	108
28	44
6	95
20	34
4	112
34	20
15	92
31	8
6	122
21	44
30	62
4	104
3	120
20	44
14	86
6	116
11	63
3	108
23	32
2	100
2	126
9	87
29	46
8	75
3	116
3	104
21	42
10	64
2	127
21	38
2	127
19	30
1	100
17	72
4	63
2	123
26	11
25	63
14	44
20	44
0	108
1	95
1	108
1	128
0	104
0	116
7	70
21	12
7	64
2	92
17	44
21	46
5	88
15	52
4	86
11	51
14	50
0	96
8	56
4	72
13	70
2	92
15	36
13	32
2	84
6	72
23	48
15	54
9	74
1	87
13	35
5	72
4	72
3	84
5	75
3	75
3	75
3	72
18	12
2	82
11	48
3	72
3	72
23	20
5	68
2	75
3	75
3	72
4	74
16	44
11	50
14	32
3	64
2	72
2	72
8	68
14	40
16	36
8	63
2	75
2	75
15	16
12	20
2	72
2	72
12	44
20	27
10	44
16	34
3	64
4	68
1	75
4	74
1	75
0	75
24	16
13	52
29	36
1	83
20	52
1	75
9	40
11	48
15	50
10	52
12	48
13	46
12	48
5	62
7	44
11	20
9	38
11	47
12	48
1	67
7	62
1	64
15	35
7	51
10	36
17	10
6	44
4	51
20	20
15	11
5	52
21	39
16	38
14	40
2	59
0	72
1	63
4	44
11	38
4	60
1	56
8	51
9	52

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
27	108
28	104
55	116
55	94
15	100
18	100
13	104
33	44
19	83
14	104
21	84
18	112
14	108
35	44
26	44
35	72
15	95
22	38
7	126
31	30
13	84
17	92
16	74
15	95
6	108
24	75
14	91
7	116
23	38
51	44
9	96
7	112
10	72
33	50
10	88
7	92
5	126
10	116
5	108
4	131
19	79
5	104
4	108
28	44
6	95
20	34
4	112
34	20
15	92
31	8
6	122
21	44
30	62
4	104
3	120
20	44
14	86
6	116
11	63
3	108
23	32
2	100
2	126
9	87
29	46
8	75
3	116
3	104
21	42
10	64
2	127
21	38
2	127
19	30
1	100
17	72
4	63
2	123
26	11
25	63
14	44
20	44
0	108
1	95
1	108
1	128
0	104
0	116
7	70
21	12
7	64
2	92
17	44
21	46
5	88
15	52
4	86
11	51
14	50
0	96
8	56
4	72
13	70
2	92
15	36
13	32
2	84
6	72
23	48
15	54
9	74
1	87
13	35
5	72
4	72
3	84
5	75
3	75
3	75
3	72
18	12
2	82
11	48
3	72
3	72
23	20
5	68
2	75
3	75
3	72
4	74
16	44
11	50
14	32
3	64
2	72
2	72
8	68
14	40
16	36
8	63
2	75
2	75
15	16
12	20
2	72
2	72
12	44
20	27
10	44
16	34
3	64
4	68
1	75
4	74
1	75
0	75
24	16
13	52
29	36
1	83
20	52
1	75
9	40
11	48
15	50
10	52
12	48
13	46
12	48
5	62
7	44
11	20
9	38
11	47
12	48
1	67
7	62
1	64
15	35
7	51
10	36
17	10
6	44
4	51
20	20
15	11
5	52
21	39
16	38
14	40
2	59
0	72
1	63
4	44
11	38
4	60
1	56
8	51
9	52

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
27	108
28	104
55	116
55	94
15	100
18	100
13	104
33	44
19	83
14	104
21	84
18	112
14	108
35	44
26	44
35	72
15	95
22	38
7	126
31	30
13	84
17	92
16	74
15	95
6	108
24	75
14	91
7	116
23	38
51	44
9	96
7	112
10	72
33	50
10	88
7	92
5	126
10	116
5	108
4	131
19	79
5	104
4	108
28	44
6	95
20	34
4	112
34	20
15	92
31	8
6	122
21	44
30	62
4	104
3	120
20	44
14	86
6	116
11	63
3	108
23	32
2	100
2	126
9	87
29	46
8	75
3	116
3	104
21	42
10	64
2	127
21	38
2	127
19	30
1	100
17	72
4	63
2	123
26	11
25	63
14	44
20	44
0	108
1	95
1	108
1	128
0	104
0	116
7	70
21	12
7	64
2	92
17	44
21	46
5	88
15	52
4	86
11	51
14	50
0	96
8	56
4	72
13	70
2	92
15	36
13	32
2	84
6	72
23	48
15	54
9	74
1	87
13	35
5	72
4	72
3	84
5	75
3	75
3	75
3	72
18	12
2	82
11	48
3	72
3	72
23	20
5	68
2	75
3	75
3	72
4	74
16	44
11	50
14	32
3	64
2	72
2	72
8	68
14	40
16	36
8	63
2	75
2	75
15	16
12	20
2	72
2	72
12	44
20	27
10	44
16	34
3	64
4	68
1	75
4	74
1	75
0	75
24	16
13	52
29	36
1	83
20	52
1	75
9	40
11	48
15	50
10	52
12	48
13	46
12	48
5	62
7	44
11	20
9	38
11	47
12	48
1	67
7	62
1	64
15	35
7	51
10	36
17	10
6	44
4	51
20	20
15	11
5	52
21	39
16	38
14	40
2	59
0	72
1	63
4	44
11	38
4	60
1	56
8	51
9	52