The Year in Rain & Snow
1885
100%
ran at 100% of normal — wetter than usual — across 79 cities, the 53rd wettest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1885
6.2in
Jacksonville, FL · Sep 26
Snowiest Station of 1885
81.1in
Rochester, NY · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1885
Daily Rainfall Records Set
203
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1885 that still stand today
National Precipitation
100%
of the 1996–2025 average across 79 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1885 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.
127%J
88%F
43%M
92%A
101%M
118%J
87%J
117%A
99%S
99%O
148%N
91%D
Wettest Stations & States
Wettest Stations of 1885
| 1 | Savannah GA | 161% |
| 2 | Jacksonville FL | 157% |
| 3 | Lewiston ID | 153% |
| 4 | Galveston TX | 140% |
| 5 | Yuma AZ | 138% |
| 6 | Winnemucca NV | 138% |
| 7 | Fresno CA | 136% |
| 8 | Charlotte NC | 135% |
| 9 | Salt Lake City UT | 129% |
| 10 | Buffalo NY | 129% |
Driest Stations of 1885
| 1 | Havre MT | 60% |
| 2 | San Diego CA | 63% |
| 3 | Duluth MN | 66% |
| 4 | Fort Smith AR | 66% |
| 5 | Memphis TN | 67% |
| 6 | Bismarck ND | 69% |
| 7 | Little Rock AR | 70% |
| 8 | New York-Central Park NY | 70% |
| 9 | Cincinnati OH | 73% |
| 10 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | 75% |
By State
Wettest states of 1885
Nevada138%Arizona138%Idaho129%Utah129%Georgia124%North Carolina120%
Driest states of 1885
Arkansas73%Minnesota74%Montana79%North Dakota82%New Jersey83%Maine83%
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