The Year in Rain & Snow
1986
103%
ran at 103% of normal — wetter than usual — across 375 cities, the 31st wettest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Biggest Rain Day of 1986
8.85in
New Bern, NC · Aug 19
Snowiest Station of 1986
174.8in
Yakutat, AK · calendar-year snowfall
Records Set in 1986
Daily Rainfall Records Set
1,195
calendar-day rainfall records set in 1986 that still stand today
National Precipitation
103%
of the 1996–2025 average across 375 cities
Where the Year Ran Wet & Dry
Each city's 1986 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.
74%J
123%F
91%M
81%A
85%M
96%J
124%J
95%A
179%S
109%O
129%N
97%D
Wettest Stations & States
Wettest Stations of 1986
| 1 | Midland-Odessa TX | 259% |
| 2 | Roswell NM | 217% |
| 3 | El Centro CA | 200% |
| 4 | Camarillo CA | 170% |
| 5 | Flagstaff AZ | 165% |
| 6 | Lake Havasu City AZ | 163% |
| 7 | San Angelo TX | 157% |
| 8 | Albuquerque NM | 156% |
| 9 | Clayton NM | 155% |
| 10 | Brainerd MN | 154% |
Driest Stations of 1986
| 1 | Norfolk VA | 54% |
| 2 | Elko NV | 59% |
| 3 | Ramona CA | 60% |
| 4 | Yuma AZ | 61% |
| 5 | Nashville TN | 62% |
| 6 | Charlotte NC | 62% |
| 7 | Knoxville TN | 63% |
| 8 | Charlottesville VA | 64% |
| 9 | Winnemucca NV | 65% |
| 10 | Greensboro NC | 66% |
By State
Wettest states of 1986
New Mexico176%South Dakota128%Oklahoma128%Utah127%Arizona125%Texas121%
Driest states of 1986
Tennessee70%Virginia73%Kentucky76%District of Columbia77%North Carolina79%Nevada80%
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