The Year in Rain & Snow
1956
83%
ran at 83% of normal — drier than usual — across 371 cities, the 3rd driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1956
11.68in
Pensacola, FL · Sep 24
Snowiest Station of 1956
311.7in
Yakutat, AK · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1956
Daily Rainfall Records Set
823
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1956 that still stand today
National Precipitation
83%
of the 1996–2025 average across 371 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1956 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
113%F
72%M
89%A
89%M
74%J
99%J
86%A
66%S
92%O
71%N
70%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1956
| 1 | El Centro CA | 9% |
| 2 | Yuma AZ | 11% |
| 3 | Del Rio TX | 23% |
| 4 | Palm Springs CA | 25% |
| 5 | Lancaster CA | 28% |
| 6 | San Angelo TX | 35% |
| 7 | Wichita KS | 37% |
| 8 | Roswell NM | 38% |
| 9 | Abilene TX | 40% |
| 10 | Needles CA | 40% |
Wettest Stations of 1956
| 1 | Lihue HI | 164% |
| 2 | Klamath Falls OR | 156% |
| 3 | Medford OR | 155% |
| 4 | Hilo HI | 147% |
| 5 | Annette AK | 144% |
| 6 | Baker City OR | 141% |
| 7 | Wheeling WV | 135% |
| 8 | Delta Junction AK | 135% |
| 9 | Honolulu HI | 130% |
| 10 | Lewiston ID | 127% |
By State
Wettest states of 1956
Hawaii135%Oregon115%West Virginia112%Puerto Rico111%Delaware104%Alabama103%
Driest states of 1956
Kansas51%Arizona53%Texas55%New Mexico55%Colorado64%Oklahoma64%
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