The Year in Rain & Snow
1940
102%
ran at 102% of normal — wetter than usual — across 305 cities, the 118th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1940
8.0in
Galveston, TX · Nov 25
Snowiest Station of 1940
116.6in
Caribou, ME · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1940
Daily Rainfall Records Set
871
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1940 that still stand today
National Precipitation
102%
of the 1996–2025 average across 305 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1940 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.
92%J
133%F
98%M
113%A
81%M
87%J
83%J
98%A
93%S
82%O
130%N
124%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1940
| 1 | Grand Island NE | 46% |
| 2 | North Platte NE | 52% |
| 3 | St Louis MO | 55% |
| 4 | Huron SD | 59% |
| 5 | Springfield IL | 60% |
| 6 | Moline IL | 61% |
| 7 | Hastings NE | 64% |
| 8 | Indianapolis IN | 66% |
| 9 | Concordia KS | 67% |
| 10 | Evansville IN | 67% |
Wettest Stations of 1940
| 1 | Redding CA | 210% |
| 2 | Kingman AZ | 201% |
| 3 | Camarillo CA | 199% |
| 4 | Sacramento CA | 186% |
| 5 | Riverside CA | 185% |
| 6 | Baker City OR | 181% |
| 7 | Stockton CA | 177% |
| 8 | Burbank Glendale Pasadena CA | 176% |
| 9 | Lewiston ID | 169% |
| 10 | San Diego CA | 167% |
By State
Wettest states of 1940
California159%Idaho136%Arizona136%Oregon129%Washington123%Nevada121%
Driest states of 1940
Indiana69%Nebraska74%Illinois75%Kentucky76%Missouri77%Tennessee79%
DriestSince · browse by state · precipitation & snowfall records · NOAA/RCC-ACIS ThreadEx gauge record · part of Weather Trader · supported by Substack Subscribers
© 2026 Weather Trader · All rights reserved
© 2026 Weather Trader · All rights reserved