After months with barely any rain, the heavens opened above Brisbane and other areas in southern Queensland on Monday night, delivering the best rain in about six months.

A large northwest cloud band has been dumping rain across a broad swathe of central and eastern Australia during the last three days.

Image: Thick rain-bearing clouds were covering a broad area of QLD and NSW as the sun rose on Tuesday morning.

During the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday, the heaviest rain from this cloud band targeted southern QLD and northeast NSW.

In QLD, several rain gauges in the state's southeast collected over 50mm during this period, including 72mm at Judds Road in the Glasshouse Mountains and 61mm at Hillcrest in the Logan area. Brisbane's 35.2mm was the city's best drop since early April, giving parched parked and gardens and much needed drink.

Image: A gloomy morning in Brisbane on Tuesday, following the city's best rain in six months. Source: @leelleelleel / Instagram

In outback QLD, The Monument near Cloncurry collected 31mm during the last 24 hours, its best rain in eight months. Birdsville's 23.4mm is almost three months' worth of rain at this time of year and their highest daily total in one and a half years.

Over the border in NSW, many areas north of Port Macquarie picked up 30-50mm during the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday. Ballina (53mm), Port Macquarie (34mm), Kempsey (25mm) and Casino (26mm) all collected their heaviest daily rain in six to seven months.

Rain will continue to affect some eastern districts of QLD and NSW on Tuesday before the cloud band clears off the coast by Wednesday. However, showers and potentially severe thunderstorms will develop over both states on Thursday as another low pressure trough moves in from the west.