The maps immediately preceding the 27th show in ordinary low pressure wave advancing eastward along the Southern Ocean, with a "high" over the continent, gradually retreating before it to the eastwards. On the 26th signs of a valley forming were very marked, and on the next day we have the trough shown in map No. 5.

The subsequent weather charts are very interesting. The 28th being a Sunday no chart was issued, but on the 29th we find that a well-marked cyclonic depression had developed over South Australia, the centre lying between Adelaide anti Port Augusta, and the Barrier Ranges in New South Wales, whilst a large high pressure area lay over New Zealand and the ocean between those islands and the Australian coast, and another "high" overlapped the south-western portion of the continent. This low pressure centre then passed southwards to between Kangaroo Island and Lacepede Bay, thence down the coast over Tasmania, and off towards New Zealand.

Splendid rains fell all over this colony, Victoria, and Tasmania, extending well inland over the north-east districts of South Australia into western and central Queensland. In South Australia it was one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest, general rainstorm of which we have records. The bulk of the rain fell between 9 a.m. on the 27th and 9 a.m. on the 30th, and during that period we find that in South Australia heavy rains fell everywhere south of Alice Springs; in New South Wales light to heavy rains fell almost generally; also in Queensland, especially in the centre and west; whilst in Victoria and Tasmania there was a copious rainfall throughout.

I doubt if so extensive a rainstorm has been experienced since records began. The drought over our north-eastern country, western and central Queensland, was broken up, and practically more than half the entire continent participated in the downpour, which was certainly as beneficial as it was extensive.

Bureau of Meteorology