The Year in Rain & Snow
1989
94%
ran at 94% of normal — drier than usual — across 378 cities, the 42nd driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1989
10.92in
New Orleans, LA · Nov 7
Snowiest Station of 1989
246.3in
Marquette County, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1989
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,180
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1989 that still stand today
National Precipitation
94%
of the 1996–2025 average across 378 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1989 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.
91%J
95%F
109%M
77%A
114%M
117%J
103%J
127%A
161%S
86%O
77%N
63%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1989
| 1 | Long Beach CA | 26% |
| 2 | Santa Maria CA | 26% |
| 3 | Ramona CA | 28% |
| 4 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | 32% |
| 5 | Riverside CA | 32% |
| 6 | Palm Springs CA | 34% |
| 7 | Bishop CA | 35% |
| 8 | Los Angeles Airport CA | 35% |
| 9 | Burbank Glendale Pasadena CA | 37% |
| 10 | El Centro CA | 40% |
Wettest Stations of 1989
| 1 | Kahului HI | 264% |
| 2 | Yuma AZ | 238% |
| 3 | Delta Junction AK | 178% |
| 4 | Honolulu HI | 169% |
| 5 | Lihue HI | 163% |
| 6 | Greenwood MS | 158% |
| 7 | Anchorage AK | 158% |
| 8 | Great Falls MT | 155% |
| 9 | Montgomery AL | 152% |
| 10 | Cape Hatteras NC | 151% |
By State
Wettest states of 1989
Hawaii186%Delaware126%North Carolina124%Alabama123%District of Columbia119%Georgia118%
Driest states of 1989
California51%Iowa69%North Dakota70%Utah71%Wisconsin72%Nevada73%
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