The ACT received twice as much rain last month than the January average, with 57 millimetres falling on the Brindabellas in just 24 hours.
A cooler, wetter January meant temperatures failed to surpass 33 degrees for the first time in 27 years, according to Canberra Airport data released by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Just four days recorded 30 degrees or above at the airport weather station in January, below the long-term average of 11.7 days and the lowest count since 2000.
The Canberra Airport recorded 98 millimetres of rain throughout the month, compared with 57.6 mm the same time last year, 16 mm in 2020, 61.2 mm in 2019 and 38 mm in 2018.
The Bureau reported that a moist, humid air mass brought showers and thunderstorms, with about 21,000 people left without power when strong winds and hail up to three centimetres in diameter hit on January 3.
Nicholls had its highest January rainfall on record with 131.5 mm recorded for the month, compared to its previous high of 129.7 mm in 1999.
January rainfall was 22 per cent above average for Australia as a whole, the fourth highest on record for South Australia and the eight highest for Victoria.
Rainfall was below average for western Tasmania, parts of Western Australia and parts of eastern Queensland.
The Bureau of Meteorology's Morgan Pumpa said La Nina would remain active throughout February, bringing more of the above average rainfall nationally.
"Until it becomes neutral, which may not be until the start of Autumn, we do see the possibility of more rainfall from the impacts of La Nina continuing," she said.
The wet January follows a wet end to 2021, when rainfall across the ACT was also 50 per cent higher than the December average.
ACT Environment and Planning Directorate senior director Chris Glennon said wet years had many benefits for the capital's lakes and rivers, including supporting fish and bird breeding.
He said heavy rainfall replenished waterways and even minor floods could be favourable for the wetlands.
Mr Glennon said the risk of algae polluting the lake also decreased with the cooler summer.
"If you have higher flows in the systems then the concentration of pollutants is lower, which is a good thing," he said.
"With good rain there's good water in our reservoirs in the Googong and the Cotter and Bendora, so that's a good thing from a water security perspective as well."
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Mr Glennon said if landscapes weren't well maintained too much rain could bring the potential of erosion, which was negated if there was good ground cover in place.
"The other thing about too much rain is that even though you get good crop and pasture growth, you also get very good weed growth as well," he said.
Mr Glennon said the ACT government had allocated an extra $2 million over four years to combat new weed incursions in the ACT.
"That's something people are monitoring and reacting to diligently at the moment," he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting a mostly dry weekend ahead, with a top of 21 degrees on Saturday and a top of 20 degrees in the ACT on Sunday.
Both days were forecast to be partly cloudy with a 20 per cent chance of rain on Sunday.
