The Araluen Valley, which had been very dry, had 260mm over the weekend Flood warning was issued for the Moruya valley on Monday after flooding closed roads at the coast and low level crossings inland. Moruya, which had also been experiencing severe water shortages, had over 150 mm on Monday, following on from over 120mm in the previous few days. Goulburn's total water storage had risen above 40 per cent.

The Weather Channel reported that some parts of NSW have recorded their wettest month in over 15 years.

Penrith has received 275mm so far this month for its wettest in at least 15 years and Forbes has recorded 160mm this month for its wettest month in at least 15 years.

Canberra received 98mm for its wettest 72 hours in eight years. Yass recorded 117mm over 48 hours which is its wettest two days in 21 years.

"Moist tropical air has invaded southeastern Australia from the Coral Sea, which has not only brought a string of very humid days but also widespread rainfall," says Tom Saunders, Meteorologist at The Weather Channel. "Most western parts of New South Wales have quadrupled their average February rain and we are only halfway through the month. "

Minister for Primary Industries, Steve Whan, released the latest Government drought figures which indicate 65.7% of the State remains in drought, a drop of 16% since last month.

The official figures show the area of NSW considered satisfactory has also increased to 6.2% (up from 4.4%), while 28.1% of NSW is considered marginal (up from 13.8%).

Mr Whan said "Importantly, this rain has also injected some life back into the pastures, providing a real morale boost for those living on the land."