Cessnock and Tocal recorded their highest annual rainfall totals on record last year, but those wishing for some sunny skies may be buoyed by the outlook for 2023.
Paterson's Tocal weather station received 1359.2mm of rainfall during 2022, according to Bureau of Meteorology records, with daily and monthly rainfall totals also broken.
It was an unusually wet July across the region, reflected in weather records being broken in multiple areas during the month.
More than 296mm of rain fell in Tocal throughout July, including 119mm on the fourth day.
In Cessnock, 1301.8mm of rain soaked the city during 2022, including a record July month of 291.2mm.
The total was almost double the long-term rainfall average for Cessnock (757.8mm).
Williamtown was also drenched in its wettest July on record. The middle winter month brought 327.4mm of rain to the suburb.
Another two July records were broken in Mangrove Mountain, which received a whopping 549.8mm of rain for the month.
This included 170.2mm on the 4th, which was a July daily rainfall record.
While no records were broken, Newcastle had another above-average year of rain.
On a national scale, rainfall was 25 per cent above the 1961-1990 annual average making 2022 the ninth-wettest year on record.
The average temperature was also 0.50°C warmer than the 1961-1990 average, making 2022 the equal 22nd warmest year on record since national temperature records began in 1910.
However the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a change in the skies and an end to the third consecutive La Nina.
In its climate outlook, the Bureau said large parts of Australia "have close to equal chance of above or below median rainfall for the period February to April".
La Nina is slowly easing in the tropical Pacific and long-range forecasts suggest a return to ENSO-neutral (between El Nino and La Nina) in early 2023.
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