The Year in Rain & Snow
1894
86%
ran at 86% of normal — drier than usual — across 140 cities, the 7th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1894
10.4in
West Palm Beach, FL · Sep 24
Snowiest Station of 1894
102.7in
Ely, NV · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1894
Daily Rainfall Records Set
299
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1894 that still stand today
National Precipitation
86%
of the 1996–2025 average across 140 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1894 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.
96%J
107%F
92%M
76%A
99%M
87%J
76%J
70%A
134%S
94%O
50%N
86%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1894
| 1 | Sioux Falls SD | 39% |
| 2 | San Diego CA | 48% |
| 3 | Valentine NE | 49% |
| 4 | El Paso TX | 50% |
| 5 | Moline IL | 50% |
| 6 | Dubuque IA | 51% |
| 7 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | 53% |
| 8 | North Platte NE | 53% |
| 9 | Norfolk NE | 53% |
| 10 | Burlington VT | 55% |
Wettest Stations of 1894
| 1 | Ely NV | 181% |
| 2 | San Jose CA | 159% |
| 3 | Tampa FL | 131% |
| 4 | Charleston Downtown SC | 130% |
| 5 | Havre MT | 128% |
| 6 | Sacramento CA | 127% |
| 7 | Williston ND | 126% |
| 8 | Augusta GA | 126% |
| 9 | Astoria OR | 125% |
| 10 | Eureka CA | 120% |
By State
Wettest states of 1894
Nevada132%Oregon122%Washington108%Idaho106%Arizona104%Georgia102%
Driest states of 1894
South Dakota50%Vermont55%Nebraska58%Iowa62%Ohio64%New Hampshire64%
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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