Historic State Precipitation Rankings
Stacker Analyzes Historical Weather Records to Rank Wettest Septembers Across Nine States
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The supplied Virginia article excerpt does not identify any specific year as one of the state’s wettest Septembers or provide the corresponding precipitation total and temperature figures; it contains only the ranking methodology.
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The supplied Rhode Island article excerpt does not include the ranked September years, precipitation amounts, or statewide temperature statistics that the article says are included in the full ranking.
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The supplied Utah, Oregon and New Jersey excerpts likewise provide no result-level details—such as the top-ranked years, rainfall totals, or monthly high, low and average temperatures—beyond describing the data-collection method.
Stacker compiled historical records of the wettest Septembers across nine U.S. states dating back to 1895, ranking each state's most precipitation-heavy months individually rather than comparing totals nationally. Stacker analyzed data from the National Centers for Environmental Information to identify September rainfall extremes in Virginia, Rhode Island, Utah, Oregon, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, South Carolina, and Georgia—each ranking includes monthly precipitation totals plus statewide high, low, and average temperatures.
Why Rankings Stay Within Each State
Comparing the wettest Septembers across different states is misleading because each state's climate, terrain, and coastline create unique rainfall patterns. A very wet September in dry Utah represents a different hydrologic event than one in coastal Rhode Island or New Jersey. Statewide measurement networks also vary in coverage and history. State-by-state rankings therefore provide more useful historical context for local flooding risks and infrastructure stress-testing.
How Extreme September Rain Creates Cascading Risks
One exceptionally wet September can trigger problems far beyond immediate flooding. Heavy rainfall saturates soils, raises river levels, and reduces reservoir and drainage capacity. Landslides become more likely. Later storms then cause more damaging runoff because the ground is already saturated. In states like Oregon and Virginia, terrain and river-basin conditions can extend rainfall impacts well beyond the dates of the heaviest rain. The actual damage depends on rainfall intensity, how wet the soil already was, and local infrastructure quality—not just the monthly total.
Single Wet Month ≠ Climate Trend
Historical wettest-September rankings alone do not prove climate is changing. One record-breaking month is not a trend. True climate trends require consistent multi-decade analysis of averages, frequency, intensity, and seasonal patterns. Scientists must also account for how weather observation systems have improved over time. That said, these historical extremes are valuable for stress-testing emergency plans and infrastructure against plausible high-rainfall scenarios.
Nine States Analyzed Across 131 Years
Stacker analyzed precipitation records spanning from 1895 to present, giving a 131-year window into September rainfall variability. The study covered Virginia, Rhode Island, Utah, Oregon, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, South Carolina, and Georgia—states with varied climates from arid mountains to coastal regions. Each state's ranking captures its own historical wet extremes, providing local officials and residents with context for how current September weather compares to the past century of records.
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