The problem has been rectified and the gauge is now showing 2 millimetres.

Senior forecaster Richard Carlyon told The Border Mail website yesterday afternoon they were investigating a possible fault in the rain gauge at the Albury automatic weather station yesterday afternoon.

But last night Mr Carlyon said it had been checked out and there was “nothing wrong on our end”.

“Looking at the radar you should have received some rain, perhaps nothing significant around the airport to get a reading,” he said.

“It seems a bit strange, but we will wait for the next batch of showers possibly overnight and tomorrow morning because heavy rain is expected.”

East Albury weather watcher Tony Opie, who lives within a kilometre of the airport, recorded 3.5 millimetres.

But he said the airport rain gauge could still be right as rainfall varied, even over a small distance.

West Albury resident and Australian Plants Society Albury-Wodonga president Tom Bird showed The Border Mail his rain gauge reading of 8 millimetres.

“Ten times that would be good,” he said.

Mr Bird said the last decent recording of rain had been on December 15 when he recorded 19 millimetres.

“You can tell it hasn’t rained in a while, there’s leaves and flowers inside the gauge,” he said.

A West Wodonga resident recorded 6.5 millimetres.

Wangaratta received 5.4 millimetres while Hunters Hill weather station, east of Tallangatta, had 10.6 millimetres between 9am and 9pm.

Benalla recorded 50 millimetres by 10pm.