The Year in Rain & Snow
1996
109%
ran at 109% of normal — wetter than usual — across 366 cities, the 147th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1996
11.74in
Portland, ME · Oct 21
Snowiest Station of 1996
252.8in
Marquette County, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1996
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,345
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1996 that still stand today
National Precipitation
109%
of the 1996–2025 average across 366 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1996 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.
126%J
88%F
96%M
94%A
103%M
93%J
118%J
81%A
125%S
110%O
133%N
110%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 1996
| 1 | Yuma AZ | 31% |
| 2 | Lake Havasu City AZ | 33% |
| 3 | Palm Springs CA | 33% |
| 4 | El Centro CA | 44% |
| 5 | Homer AK | 54% |
| 6 | Barrow AK | 57% |
| 7 | Flagstaff AZ | 57% |
| 8 | San Antonio TX | 59% |
| 9 | Lancaster CA | 59% |
| 10 | Del Rio TX | 61% |
Wettest Stations of 1996
| 1 | Hagerstown MD | 206% |
| 2 | Honolulu HI | 203% |
| 3 | Kahului HI | 202% |
| 4 | Eugene OR | 202% |
| 5 | Yakima WA | 191% |
| 6 | Klamath Falls OR | 191% |
| 7 | McMinnville OR | 187% |
| 8 | Tri-Cities WA | 183% |
| 9 | Madera CA | 181% |
| 10 | Hanford CA | 178% |
By State
Wettest states of 1996
Hawaii168%Oregon160%Maryland148%Washington146%Idaho136%West Virginia131%
Driest states of 1996
Arizona64%South Carolina84%Alaska85%Texas90%Georgia90%Louisiana90%
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