The Year in Rain & Snow
1985
96%
ran at 96% of normal — drier than usual — across 373 cities, the 54th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1985
8.02in
Tyler, TX · Oct 19
Snowiest Station of 1985
269.3in
Marquette County, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1985
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,213
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1985 that still stand today
National Precipitation
96%
of the 1996–2025 average across 373 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1985 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.
75%J
96%F
104%M
70%A
84%M
91%J
152%J
106%A
135%S
120%O
186%N
67%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1985
| 1 | Palmdale CA | 24% |
| 2 | Las Vegas NV | 33% |
| 3 | Lancaster CA | 41% |
| 4 | Burbank Glendale Pasadena CA | 50% |
| 5 | Eureka NV | 51% |
| 6 | Eureka CA | 56% |
| 7 | Astoria OR | 58% |
| 8 | Medford OR | 58% |
| 9 | Salem OR | 59% |
| 10 | Quillayute WA | 59% |
Wettest Stations of 1985
| 1 | El Centro CA | 200% |
| 2 | Laredo TX | 194% |
| 3 | Delta Junction AK | 163% |
| 4 | Lawton OK | 161% |
| 5 | Winslow AZ | 152% |
| 6 | Ashland WI | 150% |
| 7 | Battle Creek MI | 146% |
| 8 | Salina KS | 145% |
| 9 | Lake Havasu City AZ | 144% |
| 10 | Stillwater OK | 142% |
By State
Wettest states of 1985
Oklahoma138%Missouri132%Arizona131%Colorado124%Michigan118%New Mexico116%
Driest states of 1985
Nevada68%New Hampshire71%New Jersey72%Washington72%Puerto Rico72%Oregon75%
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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