Rainfall in the Hunter this summer was up to 70 per cent above average, while the region experienced a reprieve from the scorching heat of last year, Bureau of Meteorology data shows.
The number of rainy days was well above the average in Williamtown (75 per cent), Maitland (72 per cent) and Cooranbong (47 per cent).
And the number of extremely hot days was dramatically down from last summer.
Scone had 15 days above 40 degrees last summer and only one day above that temperature this summer.
The Lower Hunter had no days above 40 degrees this summer, while last summer the figures were: Nobbys (one), Williamtown (eight), Maitland (12), Cooranbong (seven) and Cessnock (10).
It was a summer of consistent and intermittent rain, cooler periods and more cloudy days than usual. However, this was contrasted with periods of tropical weather and humidity.
With summer to officially end on Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast the wet weather to continue into autumn.
Bureau meteorologist Hugh McDowell said the summer rain did not break records.
To many people, it was an unusual summer. It was almost like we'd forgotten what a cool and wet summer felt like.
But Mr McDowell said the weather was not beyond the realms of possibility.
"It was wetter overall but not massively," he said.
"It's a La Nina year. We were expecting above average rainfall. It's not massively above average," Mr McDowell said.
Williamtown recorded about 500 millimetres of rain this summer, compared to 240 millimetres the previous year. The average summer rainfall for Williamtown is 296 millimetres.
Mr McDowell said La Nina was the main reason why it had been "a bit cooler so far along the east coast".
He added that the southern annular mode had been "quite strong".
"That lets the east coast see more rainfall as well. It lets the tropical north-easterlies come down a bit more and you get more showers and clouds and cooler weather on the east coast."
The bureau predicts that March rainfall will likely be "above average across large parts of eastern Australia".
From March to May, rainfall is "likely to be wetter than average for much of northern and eastern Australia".
Minimum temperatures for autumn are likely to be above average across most of Australia.
"La Nina continues in the tropical Pacific but is past its peak strength," the outlook said.
"However, it is still expected to influence Australia's rainfall during this outlook period. La Nina typically increases the likelihood of above average rainfall across eastern and northern Australia during summer and early autumn."
As for this weekend, the bureau has forecast Newcastle to reach a high of 25 degrees on Saturday, 28 degrees on Sunday and 31 degrees on Monday. More showers are forecast for the week ahead.
