Sydney beats its 1950 rainfall record

Australia's largest city, Sydney, has been soaked by its wettest year on record with almost three months of expected above-average rain to spare.

It beats its 1950 record of 86.4 inches at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Heavy rain is forecast to continue across Sydney and other parts of southeast Australia, peaking on Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology last month declared that a La Niña weather pattern, which is associated with above-average rainfall in eastern Australia, was underway in the Pacific.

The bureau forecast that the La Niña event may peak during the current Southern Hemisphere spring and return to neutral conditions early next year.

It is the third La Niña since 2019 became Australia's hottest and driest year on record.