According to the highly regarded United States-based Center for Ocean Land Atmosphere Studies (COLA), most agricultural regions should receive between 10mm and 20mm before next Friday.

And some isolated pockets in northern NSW, the Snowy Mountains, western Tasmania and the south west of WA, are tipped to receive between 50mm and 80mm.

Then in the week following, between September 19 and 27, COLA says further falls of 20-35mm are expected for most of South Australia, NSW and Tasmania, with western Victoria to receive more than 50mm.