The remote community of Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory is drying-out after receiving 304 millimetres of rain on Monday afternoon.
It is the town's second-wettest day on record, behind 437mm recorded in April 1999.
The official rain gauge is located at Gove Airport on the outskirts of Nhulunbuy, in north-east Arnhem Land.
Senior Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Sally Cutter said a tropical storm got stuck over the Gove Peninsula.
The next-highest rainfall total recorded in the NT on Monday was just 5mm at nearby Cape Wessel.
According to the BOM, the rainfall total at Gove Airport on Monday made it the "wettest location in the world".
Nhulunbuy businessman David Suter was on his way to Gove Airport when it started pouring.
"The storm just anchored itself over the airport, and we had front row seats," he said.
"The lightning was impressive, the rain was impressive and it was a very good show.
"I can honestly say that in my 50 years of living here, it was something harking back to the 1970s for the amount of rain that was happening."
The ABC is not aware of any major damage in the region.
The NT's record for most rain in a day belongs to Dum In Mirrie Island, which received 562mm in 2020.
The average annual rainfall total for Gove Airport is 1,444mm.
