Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home a day after Hurricane Florence hit the area, on September 15, 2018 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
© Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesMike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home a day after Hurricane Florence hit the area, on September 15, 2018 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Places like Washington, DC, have seen the most rain they have ever seen in a calendar year.

In fact, 78 cities across the United States are on track to have their wettest years on record. At least 16 of those have already broken their yearly records, according to data from NOAA Regional Climate Centers.

The continental United States as a whole is on pace to be the fifth wettest year on record and eight states are on track to have their wettest years on record.

Much of the Mid-Atlantic has observed 20 inches above what they get in an average year.

Some places, like Wilmington, North Carolina, have seen more than 40 inches above the yearly average. Not only has Wilmington shattered its previous yearly record of 83.65 inches, set back in 1877, but it also surpassed 100 inches of rain in a single year.

That's about the same height as a standard deep end in a backyard swimming pool.

The state of North Carolina has had above-average rainfall in 2018 due to a steady stream of non-tropical low-pressure systems, cold and warm fronts, and daytime thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Much of it is also due to the record-breaking 23.02 inch rainfall Wilmington received over a three day period during Hurricane Florence.

Washington won't reach 100 inches of rain like Wilmington has this year. But rainfall in the city is still setting a significant record.

In addition to having its rainiest year on record, Washington is also seeing its wettest November and its second wettest Autumn. Numerous daily rainfall records have also been broken throughout the year.

RAIN MAP
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RAINY CITIES
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