The Year in Rain & Snow
2003
98%
ran at 98% of normal — drier than usual — across 388 cities, the 77th driest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 2003
10.22in
Fort Lauderdale, FL · May 27
Snowiest Station of 2003
191.8in
Marquette County, MI · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 2003
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,181
calendar-day rainfall records set in 2003 that still stand today
National Precipitation
98%
of the 1996–2025 average across 388 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 2003 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
114%F
99%M
105%A
112%M
102%J
88%J
106%A
101%S
70%O
113%N
89%D
Driest Stations & States
Driest Stations of 2003
| 1 | Roswell NM | 25% |
| 2 | Winslow AZ | 39% |
| 3 | Bishop CA | 48% |
| 4 | Lubbock TX | 48% |
| 5 | El Paso TX | 49% |
| 6 | Rhinelander WI | 51% |
| 7 | Brainerd MN | 54% |
| 8 | Lawton OK | 54% |
| 9 | Dallas TX | 57% |
| 10 | Gulkana AK | 57% |
Wettest Stations of 2003
| 1 | Las Vegas NV | 178% |
| 2 | Lake Havasu City AZ | 169% |
| 3 | Charlottesville VA | 168% |
| 4 | Sterling-Dulles Airport VA | 156% |
| 5 | McAllen TX | 154% |
| 6 | Bristol-Johnson City TN | 150% |
| 7 | Annapolis MD | 147% |
| 8 | Martinsburg WV | 145% |
| 9 | Charlotte NC | 145% |
| 10 | Washington DC | 144% |
By State
Wettest states of 2003
District of Columbia144%Maryland137%Virginia136%North Carolina128%Delaware123%West Virginia122%
Driest states of 2003
New Mexico57%Oklahoma70%Minnesota73%Wisconsin75%South Dakota81%Nebraska81%
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