After peaking at just under seven metres on Monday afternoon, the river level dropped below the moderate flood level (4.5 metres) around 9am on Tuesday morning.

The high river levels came after Bathurst was smashed by 86.4 millimetres of rain in a 24-hour period to 9am on Monday morning.

This is the most amount of rain in a single 24-hour period, which was set back in February 1997 when 92mm fell.

READ MORE:

It's expected the river level will continue to drop throughout the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, with no major rainfall forecast in the coming days.

Major flooding in Bathurst occurs when the Macquarie River reaches a height of 5.7m, moderate at 4.5m and minor at 3m.

The previous record for Bathurst floods was back in 1998, when the river peaked at 6.7m.

Those floods were much more devastating because Bathurst did not have a major levee system back then.

But Bathurst is not necessarily out the woods yet.

The forecast for summer is for above average rainfall and, after Bathurst has already had four flooding events in excess of four metres in the past 60 days, it is likely more flooding will occur.

People are urged to continue to put safety first as the river remains high.

The message is to not enter floodwaters under any circumstances.

For the latest information on road closures, check the Live Traffic website or the Bathurst Regional Council and Bathurst SES Facebook pages.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: