The Year in Rain & Snow
1896
98%
ran at 98% of normal — drier than usual — across 167 cities, the 86th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1896
5.69in
Jackson, MS · Feb 2
Snowiest Station of 1896
127.8in
Rochester, NY · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1896
Daily Rainfall Records Set
474
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1896 that still stand today
National Precipitation
98%
of the 1996–2025 average across 167 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1896 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.
94%J
96%F
100%M
101%A
102%M
82%J
119%J
121%A
112%S
86%O
139%N
57%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1896
| 1 | Fort Smith AR | 54% |
| 2 | Galveston TX | 57% |
| 3 | Tulsa OK | 58% |
| 4 | Oklahoma City OK | 61% |
| 5 | Memphis TN | 63% |
| 6 | Miami FL | 63% |
| 7 | Key West FL | 64% |
| 8 | Birmingham AL | 65% |
| 9 | Brownsville TX | 65% |
| 10 | Little Rock AR | 65% |
Wettest Stations of 1896
| 1 | Aberdeen SD | 194% |
| 2 | Boise ID | 193% |
| 3 | McMinnville OR | 172% |
| 4 | Redding CA | 159% |
| 5 | Phoenix AZ | 152% |
| 6 | Williston ND | 149% |
| 7 | Havre MT | 145% |
| 8 | Pullman WA | 144% |
| 9 | San Jose CA | 143% |
| 10 | Sacramento CA | 140% |
By State
Wettest states of 1896
Idaho193%Oregon142%South Dakota132%Nevada128%California125%Utah121%
Driest states of 1896
Arkansas66%Oklahoma67%Louisiana72%Tennessee74%Vermont74%District of Columbia74%
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