What were the wettest years on record in the US?

Through 2025, 1973 was the wettest year on record in the contiguous US, with 5.0 inches more rain and melted snow than the 1901–2000 average of 29.9 inches, just ahead of 2019 (4.9 inches more). Six of the 10 wettest years since 1895 came in 1996 or later.

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Key facts

Measure: Inches of rain and melted snow above the 1901–2000 average. Written from the data below.

  • 1973 has the highest figure, 5.02, followed by 2019 (4.9) and 1983 (4.8).
  • 2004 has the lowest figure, 3.31, followed by 1996 (3.75) and 1957 (3.91).

Source and date

Source
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance
License
Public domain (U.S. government work)
Data as of
Published

Citation

Chartly. “What were the wettest years on record in the US?” Chart. Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/national/time-series (data as of December 31, 2025). https://chart.ly/charts/wettest-years-in-the-us (accessed October 15, 2026).

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The data

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The file has the numbers in this table, with the source, license and date. Please credit the source and Chartly.

Year Inches of rain and melted snow above the 1901–2000 average
1973 5.02
2019 4.9
1983 4.8
2018 4.7
2015 4.66
1998 3.93
1982 3.92
1957 3.91
1996 3.75
2004 3.31

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