The Illawarra was drenched with record-breaking rain in a year dominated by flooding throughout eastern Australia.
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Bureau of Meteorology data shows weather station at Bellambi had 2258 millimetres of rain in 2022, an increase of 36 per cent on 1998, the previous wettest year on record.
That year, Bellambi recorded 1657 millimetres across the 12 months.
Albion Park copped 2585.4 millimetres - up from 1266.6 in 2020 - while Kiama was drenched with 2845.6 millimetres, an increase of over 110 per cent on the previous 2011 record.
By October, the Illawarra had already far exceeded its average annual rainfall.
The region saw significant flooding events in March, April and July, with a number of other instances of flash flooding in certain locations throughout the year.
These events inundated homes and businesses, and damaged roads, with at least one - Jamberoo Mountain Road - still yet to reopen.
The bureau said 2022 was the ninth-wettest year on record for Australia overall, with national rainfall 25 per cent above the 1961 to 1990 annual average.
Meanwhile, it was the second-wettest year ever for NSW, which had 860.24 millimetres as an area average across the state - almost 55 per cent higher than average.
The year 1950 still holds the record.
"Rainfall was very much above average for the south-east quarter of the mainland, where persistent rain saw significant flooding affecting large areas, multiple times during the year," bureau meteorologist Jenny Sturrock said.
The wet weather was consistent with a La Nina event, which the bureau said persisted through summer 2021-22, disappeared during autumn, then developed again in early September and continued through the end of the year.
Ms Sturrock said the current La Nina event was the third in a row, and this was only the fourth time that three successive La Nina events had occurred since 1900.
The the others occurred from 1954 to 1957, 1973 to 1976, and 1998 to 2001.
Ms Sturrock also noted that water storage levels were high across much of the country in 2022.
Avon Dam, which supplies water to the Illawarra, is sitting at 94 per cent, while Cataract Dam is at 71 per cent and Cordeaux Dam is at 96 per cent.
Meanwhile, annual maximum temperatures were below average for NSW, while annual minimum temperatures were above average.
For the Illawarra, the mean temperature in 2022 was about average.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
