For just the fifth time since records began, Sydney has passed 2,000 millimetres of rain within a calendar year — this time in less than eight months.
And with four months left to go in 2022, only another 200mm is needed to make this year the city's wettest ever.
By 10pm on Friday night, the Observatory Hill weather station in the CBD had recorded more than 6mm of rain since 9am, taking its total rainfall for the year past 2 metres for the first time in almost 60 years.
There had previously been just four occasions that the mark had been reached since records began in the 1850s.
The tally was reached after the Harbour City was drenched for weeks on end, with higher than average rainfall attributed to the La Niña weather system.
Meteorologist and ABC weather presenter Tom Saunders said the average annual rainfall for Sydney was 1,200mm, showing just how wet 2022 has been.
"This will only be the fifth time the city has received an annual rain toll exceeding 2 metres," Saunders said.
"The city is now under 200 millimetres away from breaking its all-time record."
The last time NSW's capital was soaked by 2 metres of rain was in 1963, when a tad over 2,035mm fell.
In 1950, Sydney's wettest year on record, a total of 2,194mm lashed down over Observatory Hill.
The only other times more than 2,000mm of rain has fallen in a 12-month period since records began in Sydney were 1860 (2,110.5mm) and 1890 (2,071.1mm).
Rain is expected across the city today but most suburbs should only see a few millimetres.
It's also set to be a wet start to next week, as a weather system moves across the south-east brining yet more rain to NSW.
"[It's] looking like a slightly damp transition from winter to spring," Saunders said.
"And that yearly rain total will continue to edge toward the all-time record."
