The Year in Rain & Snow
1981
97%
ran at 97% of normal — drier than usual — across 377 cities, the 69th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1981
10.86in
Galveston, TX · Aug 31
Snowiest Station of 1981
221.6in
Marquette County, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1981
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,108
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1981 that still stand today
National Precipitation
97%
of the 1996–2025 average across 377 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1981 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.
50%J
113%F
93%M
81%A
109%M
106%J
106%J
89%A
85%S
114%O
98%N
85%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1981
| 1 | Eureka NV | 49% |
| 2 | Tupelo MS | 54% |
| 3 | Yuma AZ | 55% |
| 4 | Pensacola FL | 59% |
| 5 | Monroe LA | 61% |
| 6 | Punta Gorda FL | 62% |
| 7 | Melbourne FL | 63% |
| 8 | Bethel AK | 64% |
| 9 | Gulfport MS | 64% |
| 10 | Sanford FL | 64% |
Wettest Stations of 1981
| 1 | Laredo TX | 217% |
| 2 | Roswell NM | 213% |
| 3 | Redding CA | 179% |
| 4 | Klamath Falls OR | 163% |
| 5 | Homer AK | 160% |
| 6 | Baker City OR | 159% |
| 7 | Ontario OR | 156% |
| 8 | Eugene OR | 148% |
| 9 | El Paso TX | 148% |
| 10 | Del Rio TX | 147% |
By State
Wettest states of 1981
New Mexico140%Oregon126%Texas124%Idaho120%Puerto Rico117%Kansas116%
Driest states of 1981
Connecticut73%District of Columbia73%Mississippi73%Rhode Island74%New Jersey75%Kentucky76%
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