The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows 2019 was the second wettest year on record for the United States, behind 1973 by less than an inch. It makes people wonder what happened the year after and if there’s a trend in 2020.
NOAA says there are some differences between the two years. In the 1973 map, there are higher precipitation levels but it’s a little more concentrated. There’s a broad footprint on the 2019 map.
Karin Gleason, Climate Scientist with NOAA, says it’s too early to tell if 2020 will be similar to 1974 after the wettest year on record. Yet, they are still looking at the data.
Gleason says 1972 and 2018, the years before the wettest years on record, were similar in the fall with wet, soggy and saturated conditions.
