Sydney has copped a drenching but the latest rain didn't extend to areas of NSW most affected by the ongoing drought.
After significant falls mid-week most of the state's west missed out overnight and into Friday when heavy downpours hit the coastal fringe, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Thunderstorms did deliver some rain in the northern inland and eastern parts of the northern ranges including 31mm in just one hour at Girilambone north of Nyngan.
But the majority fell on the middle of the NSW coast with up to 79mm in the 24 hours to 9am recorded in the Sydney basin thanks to a low-pressure system that developed offshore.
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At far western Dubbo, close to 50mm that had fallen in the previous 48 hours kept local SES crews busy on Friday.
"We had a couple of premises here in Dubbo, with the heavy rain that we experienced and the water not being able to get away, a couple of residents had requested sandbags," deputy region controller Philip Lalor told ABC.
"I think the general mood is most people are pretty relieved; it's the first significant rainfall we've had in the area in some time."
Mr Lalor said his teams had also delivered sandbags to motor enthusiasts camped out in preparation for this weekend's Bathurst 1000.
During Wednesday's deluge Broken Hill recorded double its rainfall total for the year, with 34.2mm in 24 hours.
"We'd (previously) only had a couple of millimetres each month except in September when we observed zero," a bureau spokeswoman told AAP on Friday.
But it's nowhere near enough to break the drought.
"It's going to give some brief respite but unfortunately we need a lot more," bureau metrologist Simon Louis said on Thursday.
Showers are expected to continue in eastern NSW as the low weakens going into the weekend.
