by Carla Okai and Jennifer Chiu

A COLAC district weather station has broken a 130-year-old rain record.

Pennyroyal Creek, south-east of Colac, received 223 millimetres of rain in 24 hours, more than five times its monthly average for the whole of February.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Thursday and Friday’s downpour delivered the most rain in a day at Pennyroyal Creek since its records began in 1881.

“It beat the previous record which was 144 millimetres in 2001,” meteorologist Andrea Peace said.

“And the majority of that rain fell between 8.30pm and 11.30pm on Thursday night,” she said.

“It was due to a line of slow-moving thunderstorms, and that line started from Ricketts Marsh and went through Pennyroyal Creek and down to Mount Sabine.

“Which is why even 10 kilometres west you had very limited rainfall.”

Pennyroyal’s Rhiannon White said the heavy rain flooded her family’s property.

“Our footpaths and gutters were under water and the sheds have water damage, but it didn’t get into the house,” Ms White said.

“The power went out as well because of the storm, it’s something you don’t really expect in February,” she said.

Farmer Roy Chappell said his Deans Marsh Road property received 68 millimetres of rain, compared with seven millimetres at Birregurra which was 2.5 kilometres from his farm.

“I find it pretty intriguing that there can be such a difference in that short distance,” Mr Chappell said.

“I’ve still got hay sitting in water and the paddocks are drenched,” he said.

Pennyroyal’s Micala Campbell lives above the shop of her family’s Gentle Annie Berry Gardens.

Ms Campbell said the property lost power in the thunderstorm, and rain flooded part of the café’s kitchen.

“I was here on my own so it was quite crazy,” she said.

“It came with a whole heap of lightning and it was all above my head.

“I was manning the farm while my parents have been away, I didn’t have a car so I was just trapped.

“It was quite an experience.”

Ms Campbell said the berry farm needed rain because it had received only one day of rain in the past two months.

“It’s been quite worrying,” she said.

“It was funny because I was out taking photos and it was one of those magical nights and all the trees turned gold from the sunlight.

“Then I turned around and this black cloud swarmed over and within minutes it was saturated.”