The Year in Rain & Snow
1881
107%
ran at 107% of normal — wetter than usual — across 73 cities, the 144th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1881
6.5in
El Paso, TX · Jul 9
Snowiest Station of 1881
119.2in
Rochester, NY · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1881
Daily Rainfall Records Set
246
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1881 that still stand today
National Precipitation
107%
of the 1996–2025 average across 73 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1881 precipitation as a percent of its 1996–2025 normal — brown where the year ran dry, green-to-blue where it ran wet.
Month by Month
Precipitation by month as a percent of normal — blue above the line is a wet month, amber below is dry.
144%J
167%F
100%M
77%A
85%M
105%J
96%J
71%A
118%S
145%O
128%N
105%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1881
| 1 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | 39% |
| 2 | San Diego CA | 55% |
| 3 | Philadelphia PA | 67% |
| 4 | Newark NJ | 68% |
| 5 | Louisville KY | 70% |
| 6 | New York-Central Park NY | 72% |
| 7 | Memphis TN | 77% |
| 8 | Cheyenne WY | 80% |
| 9 | Mount Ida AR | 81% |
| 10 | Norfolk VA | 81% |
Wettest Stations of 1881
| 1 | El Paso TX | 213% |
| 2 | Helena MT | 168% |
| 3 | Des Moines IA | 160% |
| 4 | Omaha NE | 149% |
| 5 | Dodge City KS | 149% |
| 6 | Springfield IL | 148% |
| 7 | Dubuque IA | 147% |
| 8 | Madison WI | 144% |
| 9 | Winnemucca NV | 139% |
| 10 | Mobile AL | 139% |
By State
Wettest states of 1881
Iowa154%Texas149%Kansas149%Montana140%Nevada139%Nebraska129%
Driest states of 1881
California70%Kentucky70%New Jersey80%Wyoming80%Virginia81%Arkansas82%
DriestSince · browse by state · precipitation & snowfall records · NOAA/RCC-ACIS ThreadEx gauge record · part of Weather Trader · supported by Substack Subscribers
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