Maitland has experienced its wettest January day since 1997, with about 168mm of rain recorded in the city before 3.30pm on Wednesday.
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It took the total to 220mm for the 48 hours to Wednesday afternoon as heavy downpours and strong wind lashed the Hunter and Mid North Coast.
Raymond Terrace copped the brunt of the weather event and parts of Dungog were again under water only nine months out from the 2015 super storm.
Several roads in Maitland were inundated and floodwater lapped at the doorsteps of many homes.
Cessnock Road at Testers Hollow went under on Wednesday morning.
SES duty officer Mandy Haigh said the SES issued a warning for residents in the Hinton and Woodville areas because there could be instances of property isolation if there were any heavy downpours overnight.
As the wet weather continued throughout Wednesday afternoon, rainfall continued to move toward those of last year's April storm when about 270mm was recorded between April 21 and 23.
Wednesday's rain smashed the previous record for a January day, 67mm, according to Bureau of Meteorology data recorded at the Maitland Visitor Information Centre, which stretched back to 1997.
It was also about four times the January average during that period.
Water depth also reached minor flood level at various placed along the Hunter River.
It reached 8.54 metres at Greta, 7.59 metres at Oakhampton Bridge and 6.64 metres at Belmore Road.
The river was still rising on Wednesday evening.
SES crews had not been summoned to major incidents as of late Wednesday afternoon.
"It looks like people are learning; they're not to go into floodwater," SES spokesman Phil Campbell said.
Crews helped cover damaged roofs and provided sandbags to help people safeguard their homes against rising floodwater.
Raymond Terrace appeared to be the hardest hit. Parts of the CBD were inundated on Wednesday afternoon and several areas were evacuated.
The rain caused disruptions for motorists and train commuters. Twenty-three roads were closed in the Maitland local government area and another 23 in the Cessnock local government area on Wednesday.
