The Year in Rain & Snow
1870
89%
ran at 89% of normal — drier than usual — across 7 cities, the 142nd wettest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1870
4.4in
Reading, PA · Apr 18
Snowiest Station of 1870
77.0in
Concord, NH · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1870
Daily Rainfall Records Set
20
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1870 that still stand today
National Precipitation
89%
of the 1996–2025 average across 7 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1870 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.
140%J
118%F
109%M
104%A
56%M
88%J
116%J
87%A
70%S
88%O
62%N
59%D
Wettest Stations & States
Wettest Stations of 1870
| 1 | Lansing MI | 115% |
| 2 | Reading PA | 107% |
| 3 | Trenton NJ | 84% |
| 4 | Newark NJ | 82% |
| 5 | Concord NH | 80% |
| 6 | New York-Central Park NY | 78% |
| 7 | Madison WI | 77% |
Driest Stations of 1870
| 1 | Madison WI | 77% |
| 2 | New York-Central Park NY | 78% |
| 3 | Concord NH | 80% |
| 4 | Newark NJ | 82% |
| 5 | Trenton NJ | 84% |
| 6 | Reading PA | 107% |
| 7 | Lansing MI | 115% |
By State
Wettest states of 1870
Michigan115%Pennsylvania107%New Jersey83%New Hampshire80%New York78%Wisconsin77%
Driest states of 1870
Wisconsin77%New York78%New Hampshire80%New Jersey83%Pennsylvania107%Michigan115%
WettestSince · 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