The Year in Rain & Snow
1891
96%
ran at 96% of normal — drier than usual — across 107 cities, the 64th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1891
5.89in
Houston, TX · Jan 8
Snowiest Station of 1891
91.1in
Sault Ste Marie, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1891
Daily Rainfall Records Set
221
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1891 that still stand today
National Precipitation
96%
of the 1996–2025 average across 107 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1891 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.
135%J
133%F
134%M
76%A
71%M
101%J
116%J
93%A
67%S
62%O
99%N
110%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1891
| 1 | El Paso TX | 26% |
| 2 | Yuma AZ | 40% |
| 3 | Pensacola FL | 53% |
| 4 | Madison WI | 66% |
| 5 | Erie PA | 69% |
| 6 | Shreveport LA | 70% |
| 7 | Chicago IL | 71% |
| 8 | Abilene TX | 72% |
| 9 | St Louis MO | 72% |
| 10 | Dubuque IA | 73% |
Wettest Stations of 1891
| 1 | Helena MT | 174% |
| 2 | Denver CO | 153% |
| 3 | Havre MT | 151% |
| 4 | Dodge City KS | 144% |
| 5 | Lincoln NE | 141% |
| 6 | Raleigh NC | 135% |
| 7 | Valentine NE | 133% |
| 8 | Cheyenne WY | 128% |
| 9 | Concordia KS | 127% |
| 10 | Washington DC | 126% |
By State
Wettest states of 1891
Montana162%Colorado132%Wyoming128%District of Columbia126%Nebraska124%Kansas123%
Driest states of 1891
Arizona40%Louisiana70%Vermont75%Wisconsin78%Florida81%Michigan82%
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