The Year in Rain & Snow
1970
96%
ran at 96% of normal — drier than usual — across 380 cities, the 57th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1970
9.33in
Hilo, HI · Dec 2
Snowiest Station of 1970
242.5in
McCall, ID · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1970
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,094
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1970 that still stand today
National Precipitation
96%
of the 1996–2025 average across 380 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1970 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.
83%J
82%F
116%M
93%A
80%M
89%J
83%J
80%A
106%S
107%O
116%N
86%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1970
| 1 | Barrow AK | 30% |
| 2 | Amarillo TX | 48% |
| 3 | Kotzebue AK | 50% |
| 4 | Nome AK | 54% |
| 5 | Borger TX | 55% |
| 6 | Dodge City KS | 55% |
| 7 | Childress TX | 56% |
| 8 | Lake Havasu City AZ | 58% |
| 9 | Wichita Falls TX | 58% |
| 10 | New York-LGA NY | 59% |
Wettest Stations of 1970
| 1 | Redding CA | 204% |
| 2 | Stockton CA | 169% |
| 3 | Baker City OR | 158% |
| 4 | Ontario OR | 157% |
| 5 | Ukiah CA | 154% |
| 6 | Quincy IL | 154% |
| 7 | McCall ID | 152% |
| 8 | Jerome ID | 152% |
| 9 | Camarillo CA | 148% |
| 10 | Burbank Glendale Pasadena CA | 146% |
By State
Wettest states of 1970
Utah130%Idaho127%Oregon125%California119%Illinois119%Hawaii116%
Driest states of 1970
Guam67%New Mexico73%New Jersey77%Connecticut78%New York80%Nebraska81%
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