The Year in Rain & Snow
1898
95%
ran at 95% of normal — drier than usual — across 182 cities, the 50th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1898
7.31in
Savannah, GA · Aug 31
Snowiest Station of 1898
112.0in
Portland, ME · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1898
Daily Rainfall Records Set
448
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1898 that still stand today
National Precipitation
95%
of the 1996–2025 average across 182 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1898 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.
113%J
87%F
103%M
78%A
104%M
91%J
94%J
108%A
104%S
109%O
108%N
81%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1898
| 1 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | 34% |
| 2 | Fresno CA | 47% |
| 3 | Tri-Cities WA | 48% |
| 4 | San Diego CA | 51% |
| 5 | Needles CA | 52% |
| 6 | Ukiah CA | 53% |
| 7 | Stockton CA | 54% |
| 8 | Sacramento CA | 57% |
| 9 | Grand Junction CO | 61% |
| 10 | Eau Claire WI | 62% |
Wettest Stations of 1898
| 1 | Roswell NM | 184% |
| 2 | Ely NV | 161% |
| 3 | Helena MT | 156% |
| 4 | Springfield IL | 147% |
| 5 | Dodge City KS | 140% |
| 6 | Lander WY | 139% |
| 7 | Jefferson City MO | 138% |
| 8 | Springfield MO | 134% |
| 9 | Jonesboro AR | 133% |
| 10 | Tulsa OK | 131% |
By State
Wettest states of 1898
Missouri126%Montana120%Oklahoma119%Wyoming114%Nevada114%Illinois114%
Driest states of 1898
California57%Idaho75%Washington78%South Dakota80%Maryland80%Alabama83%
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