The Year in Rain & Snow
1978
105%
ran at 105% of normal — wetter than usual — across 375 cities, the 134th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1978
8.65in
Gulfport, MS · May 3
Snowiest Station of 1978
154.6in
Syracuse, NY · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1978
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,220
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1978 that still stand today
National Precipitation
105%
of the 1996–2025 average across 375 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1978 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.
150%J
92%F
101%M
105%A
111%M
84%J
103%J
112%A
149%S
59%O
120%N
115%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1978
| 1 | Bettles AK | 59% |
| 2 | Eureka CA | 62% |
| 3 | Beaumont-Port Arthur TX | 63% |
| 4 | Crescent City CA | 63% |
| 5 | Barrow AK | 64% |
| 6 | Kotzebue AK | 64% |
| 7 | Galveston TX | 65% |
| 8 | Wichita KS | 65% |
| 9 | Fort Smith AR | 66% |
| 10 | Waco TX | 67% |
Wettest Stations of 1978
| 1 | Ramona CA | 278% |
| 2 | Burbank Glendale Pasadena CA | 261% |
| 3 | Palm Springs CA | 257% |
| 4 | Camarillo CA | 255% |
| 5 | Riverside CA | 254% |
| 6 | Kingman AZ | 245% |
| 7 | Phoenix AZ | 238% |
| 8 | Long Beach CA | 237% |
| 9 | Lake Havasu City AZ | 235% |
| 10 | Palmdale CA | 234% |
By State
Wettest states of 1978
Arizona187%California183%Nevada128%New Mexico126%Montana124%Hawaii124%
Driest states of 1978
New Hampshire67%Maine76%Puerto Rico79%Vermont81%Georgia84%Massachusetts84%
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