The Year in Rain & Snow
1897
98%
ran at 98% of normal — drier than usual — across 176 cities, the 85th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1897
7.69in
Newark, NJ · Jul 28
Snowiest Station of 1897
97.8in
Sault Ste Marie, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1897
Daily Rainfall Records Set
494
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1897 that still stand today
National Precipitation
98%
of the 1996–2025 average across 176 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1897 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.
145%J
128%F
134%M
91%A
75%M
89%J
119%J
85%A
62%S
83%O
101%N
100%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1897
| 1 | Hattiesburg MS | 47% |
| 2 | San Antonio TX | 53% |
| 3 | Cleveland OH | 59% |
| 4 | Corpus Christi TX | 61% |
| 5 | Madison WI | 61% |
| 6 | Pensacola FL | 61% |
| 7 | La Crosse WI | 62% |
| 8 | Muskegon MI | 62% |
| 9 | Moline IL | 64% |
| 10 | Wilmington NC | 65% |
Wettest Stations of 1897
| 1 | Ely NV | 184% |
| 2 | Phoenix AZ | 172% |
| 3 | Aberdeen SD | 154% |
| 4 | Pullman WA | 153% |
| 5 | Yuma AZ | 148% |
| 6 | Pendleton OR | 146% |
| 7 | West Palm Beach FL | 146% |
| 8 | McMinnville OR | 146% |
| 9 | Spokane WA | 146% |
| 10 | Helena MT | 145% |
By State
Wettest states of 1897
Idaho143%Arizona137%Washington134%Oregon132%Nevada122%Montana120%
Driest states of 1897
Mississippi78%Illinois78%Iowa79%Wisconsin80%Louisiana81%Oklahoma85%
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