Feb 7 (Reuters) - Industry body Cotton Australia said it still expects a record national cotton harvest of about 5 million bales this year despite a week-long deluge in major growing regions that was threatening yields.

"There will be damage, but cotton crops are fairly resistant and we're still expecting around 5 million bales," the group's national director of communications, David Bone told Reuters.

A 5 million-bale harvest would far outpace last year's record 4 million bales.

In Australia, one bale equals 500 pounds. Bale weights vary in other cotton producing countries due to differing moisture content when cotton is compressed.