The Year in Rain & Snow
1886
96%
ran at 96% of normal — drier than usual — across 80 cities, the 66th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1886
11.91in
Brownsville, TX · Sep 22
Snowiest Station of 1886
135.5in
Buffalo, NY · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1886
Daily Rainfall Records Set
196
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1886 that still stand today
National Precipitation
96%
of the 1996–2025 average across 80 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1886 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.
146%J
94%F
118%M
108%A
79%M
101%J
90%J
86%A
101%S
66%O
112%N
81%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1886
| 1 | North Platte NE | 62% |
| 2 | Moline IL | 62% |
| 3 | Cheyenne WY | 63% |
| 4 | La Crosse WI | 65% |
| 5 | Cleveland OH | 66% |
| 6 | Cincinnati OH | 68% |
| 7 | Bismarck ND | 70% |
| 8 | Chicago IL | 71% |
| 9 | Dubuque IA | 73% |
| 10 | Minneapolis-St Paul MN | 73% |
Wettest Stations of 1886
| 1 | Brownsville TX | 218% |
| 2 | San Diego CA | 169% |
| 3 | Charlotte NC | 149% |
| 4 | Washington DC | 138% |
| 5 | Salt Lake City UT | 124% |
| 6 | Knoxville TN | 119% |
| 7 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | 118% |
| 8 | Baltimore MD | 115% |
| 9 | Jacksonville FL | 114% |
| 10 | Montgomery AL | 113% |
By State
Wettest states of 1886
District of Columbia138%Utah124%North Carolina123%California120%Maryland115%Texas114%
Driest states of 1886
Wyoming63%Nebraska68%Vermont74%Illinois74%Iowa78%Wisconsin78%
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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© 2026 Weather Trader · All rights reserved