The Year in Rain & Snow
1973
110%
ran at 110% of normal — wetter than usual — across 368 cities, the 9th wettest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1973
10.45in
Fort Lauderdale, FL · Nov 19
Snowiest Station of 1973
235.8in
Yakutat, AK · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1973
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,238
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1973 that still stand today
National Precipitation
110%
of the 1996–2025 average across 368 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1973 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.
115%J
99%F
157%M
113%A
94%M
97%J
91%J
77%A
125%S
93%O
121%N
128%D
Wettest Stations & States
Wettest Stations of 1973
| 1 | Quincy IL | 191% |
| 2 | Salina KS | 181% |
| 3 | Stockton CA | 176% |
| 4 | San Antonio TX | 174% |
| 5 | Tulsa OK | 171% |
| 6 | Topeka KS | 169% |
| 7 | San Jose CA | 166% |
| 8 | Denver CO | 164% |
| 9 | Concordia KS | 164% |
| 10 | San Francisco Airport CA | 162% |
Driest Stations of 1973
| 1 | Helena MT | 56% |
| 2 | Bismarck ND | 58% |
| 3 | Cold Bay AK | 58% |
| 4 | Guam GU | 58% |
| 5 | Palm Springs CA | 60% |
| 6 | Anchorage AK | 61% |
| 7 | Aberdeen SD | 64% |
| 8 | Bethel AK | 64% |
| 9 | Missoula MT | 65% |
| 10 | Saipan MP | 66% |
By State
Wettest states of 1973
Kansas149%Oklahoma145%Illinois139%South Carolina135%Arkansas135%Utah133%
Driest states of 1973
Guam58%Northern Marianas66%Puerto Rico71%North Dakota78%Montana83%District of Columbia83%
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