2018 brought record rainfall to many U.S. cities

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory represents the rainfall totals across the United States in 2018. 2018 brought record rainfall to many U.S. cities causing a lot of devastation and damage.

More specifically, the map shows how groundwater has responded to the unusually wet weather that accumulated in some regions. 2018 brought record rainfall to many U.S. cities

The blue areas on the map have the most abundant groundwater, while the orange and red areas have the least.

For many cities, this year was the wettest on record. North Carolina is a U.S. state located in the southeastern region of the United States. North Carolina is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the 50 United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and South Carolina to the south, and Tennessee to the west. Raleigh is the state’s capital and Charlotte is its largest city. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,569,213 in 2018, is the most populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 23rd-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Raleigh metropolitan area is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state, with an estimated population of 1,362,540 in 2018, and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park. 

Washington, D.C. received 64.22 inches of rainfall, exceeding its previous annual rainfall record set in 1889 of 61.33 inches. In Wilmington, North Carolina, 99.98 inches of rain have fallen so far this year.

The map was developed by scientists at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center using meteorological data integrated into an advanced computer model.

—

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory