CHICHESTER Dam is sitting almost 28 per cent higher than it was a month ago after a days-long deluge, Hunter Water data reveals.
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While heavier falls south of the region delivered enormous Central Coast rainfall totals and Sydney's wettest weekend since 1998, the region's rain has replenished its embattled water supply substantially.
The dam outside Dungog was at 65.7 per cent on Monday, 27.9 per cent higher than a week earlier and 27.7 per cent higher than last month.
Tomago rose 6.6 per cent on last week to sit at 62.9 per cent of its 54,000-megalitre capaity, while both Anna Bay sandbeds and Grahamstown Dam had smaller rises.
Data on Friday showed that only Chichester had risen compared to the week before, and by only 0.3 per cent, ahead of the wet blast that flowed into the region.
The latest figures put the region's overall storage at 57.9 per cent, up almost five per cent on the week before.
A Hunter Water spokesman said said 150 millimetres fell in the Chichester Dam catchment.
"While our storages can drop quickly during hot, dry periods, they can recover quickly when it rains," he said. "We saw quite good falls across the catchment areas so the ground is now wet to the point where we are starting to see some run-off into dams. "
The 96 hours to 9am Monday poured 260.6 millimetres over Lake Macquarie, the Bureau of Meteorology reported, with 172.2mm recorded at Merewether pump station.
In a boost for farmers, Gresford's 167.4mm and Barrington's 165mm outstripped the rainfall at Broadmeadow (150.6mm), Williamtown (135.4mm) and Lambton reservoir (133mm).
144mm fell at Dungog while Maitland and Pokolbin both received just over 134mm.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Katarina Kovaczic said Hunter farmland was unlikely to receive similar falls in the coming days.
A "stormy period" was likely in the region for the rest of the week, but it was unlikely to blanket the region as thoroughly.
"There will be hit and miss rainfall," she said. "Some farmers may see some pretty good rainfall, and others may not."
Ausgrid said on Monday that it had restored power to 53,000 home owners after the weekend flooding but 87,000 across Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle remained without power. The authority said it was one of the biggest storms in two decades, with repair crews trying to deal with 3000 hazards in their duties.
Closures including the University of Newcastle's Ourimbah campus, which was due to reopen on Tuesday.
Buses continued to replace Central Coast and Newcastle Line trains between Gosford and Hornsby on Monday after the severe weather left signal equipment and tracks damaged at Hawkesbury River. Midcoast Council's director of infrastructure and engineering service Rob Scott said the backlog of road and bridge damage would take time to clear.