Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018

Name: Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018
Start: 2018-12-02
End: 2018-12-03
Location: United States

Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018: 162 records at 162 stations, peak on 2 December 2018. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-17. Last revised 17 October 2026 (2026-10-17).

Key Facts

Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018 set or tied 162 station records at 162 stations.
It ran from 2 December 2018 to 3 December 2018 (2 days) and its peak day was 2 December 2018.
Status: closed.
Wakefield 3NW set a monthly record daily precipitation of 66.0 mm (2.6 in) on 2 December 2018.
The busiest day was 2 December 2018 with 155 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 120 years.

Footprint

2 to 3 December 2018

The area covered by Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018 is outlined, with 20 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Wakefield 3NW	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	2018-12-02
Estherville 4E	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	2018-12-02
Atkinson 3SW	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	2018-12-02
Virginia	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	2018-12-02
Bloomfield	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	2018-12-02
Wisconsin Dells Wwtp	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	2018-12-02
Atlantic 1 NE	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	2018-12-02
Julesburg	Record daily precipitation	13.0 mm (0.5 in)	2018-12-02
Iowa Falls	Record daily precipitation	24.4 mm (1.0 in)	2018-12-02
Spirit Lake	Record daily precipitation	17.0 mm (0.7 in)	2018-12-02
Atwood	Record daily precipitation	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	2018-12-02
Dresden	Record daily precipitation	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	2018-12-02
Oberlin	Record daily precipitation	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	2018-12-02
Saint Francis	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	2018-12-02
Brusett 3 E	Record daily precipitation	15.7 mm (0.6 in)	2018-12-02
Madrid	Record daily precipitation	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	2018-12-02
Springview 2NW	Record daily precipitation	17.3 mm (0.7 in)	2018-12-02
Wilsonville	Record daily precipitation	12.2 mm (0.5 in)	2018-12-02
Cottonwood 2 E	Record daily precipitation	8.9 mm (0.35 in)	2018-12-02
Gregory	Record daily precipitation	19.1 mm (0.8 in)	2018-12-02

Records per Day

Peak day 155

Records set or tied each day from 2 December 2018 to 3 December 2018. The most in one day was 155 on 2 December 2018.

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018 ranked by margin
Estherville 4E, 12-02	34.6 mm (1.4 in)
Virginia, 12-02	32.0 mm (1.3 in)
Atkinson 3SW, 12-02	22.1 mm (0.9 in)
Wisconsin Dells Wwtp, 12-02	19.8 mm (0.8 in)
Wakefield 3NW, 12-02	19.3 mm (0.8 in)
Saint Francis, 12-02	16.3 mm (0.6 in)
Iowa Falls, 12-02	13.5 mm (0.5 in)
Bloomfield, 12-02	13.2 mm (0.5 in)
Gregory, 12-02	11.5 mm (0.5 in)
Springview 2NW, 12-02	10.7 mm (0.4 in)
Brusett 3 E, 12-02	9.3 mm (0.37 in)
Madrid, 12-02	9.1 mm (0.36 in)
Oberlin, 12-02	8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Dresden, 12-02	8.1 mm (0.32 in)
Atlantic 1 NE, 12-02	7.9 mm (0.31 in)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

162 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.

Margin against age of the broken record in Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018
Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
19	84
35	72
14	105
22	40
32	32
11	89
9	104
13	84
16	40
9	84
12	84
20	36
7	84
8	116
7	120
7	120
3	104
9	43
8	84
6	96
12	40
9	40
3	112
3	116
9	64
5	52
3	96
1	112
27	32
1	120
6	43
6	52
16	49
13	37
3	64
15	49
18	49
16	33
4	52
8	68
1	84
12	49
1	89
8	68
1	84
2	81
3	53
18	32
8	64
5	64
9	32
1	75
6	49
6	53
6	40
5	68
7	65
4	64
1	72
5	68
11	11
2	68
3	64
2	64
7	40
1	30
5	40
17	11
3	40
8	27
4	40
1	53
13	11
10	32
11	11
18	20
7	51
6	33
9	32
3	36
7	32
7	32
5	41
5	36
14	27
3	36
2	43
11	32
6	36
4	32
3	40
6	32
15	12
7	11
4	32
1	40
5	40
3	25
12	32
14	11
3	40
2	32
2	11
1	40
5	36
3	40
4	32
2	36
9	11
7	24
5	11
1	32
3	11
6	32
1	32
1	36
4	39
4	11
7	11
1	32
4	37
4	11
1	32
3	27
2	32
1	32
3	11
1	43
2	27
1	32
6	8
1	32
2	32
0	32
1	21
2	32
1	21
8	11
2	32
2	11
4	11
2	32
3	11
1	32
1	33
1	11
1	32
4	11
5	11
0	32
3	11
3	7
0	11
0	11
5	7
1	11
5	4
2	9
3	11
1	11
1	15
1	3

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018 compared with similar events
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 23 February to 15 March 2019	2,223 records
Extreme rain in United States, 3 to 19 January 2024	2,133 records
Extreme rain in Australia, 7 to 26 March 2021	2,099 records
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 29 September to 19 October 2018	1,970 records
Extreme rain in United States, 19 December 2022 to 13 January 2023	1,941 records
Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018 (this event)	162 records

Every Record Set

20 of 162

Every record set or tied during Extreme rain in United States, 2 to 3 December 2018, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2018-12-02	Wakefield 3NW	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	19.3 mm (0.8 in)	84	75 of 100 (Major)
2018-12-02	Estherville 4E	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	34.6 mm (1.4 in)	72	71 of 100 (Major)
2018-12-02	Atkinson 3SW	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	40	62 of 100 (Major)
2018-12-02	Virginia	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	32	58 of 100 (Notable)
2018-12-02	Bloomfield	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	84	55 of 100 (Notable)
2018-12-02	Wisconsin Dells Wwtp	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	36	53 of 100 (Notable)
2018-12-02	Atlantic 1 NE	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	7.9 mm (0.31 in)	84	46 of 100 (Notable)
2018-12-02	Julesburg	Record daily precipitation	13.0 mm (0.5 in)	7.2 mm (0.28 in)	84	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Iowa Falls	Record daily precipitation	24.4 mm (1.0 in)	13.5 mm (0.5 in)	105	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Spirit Lake	Record daily precipitation	17.0 mm (0.7 in)	6.8 mm (0.27 in)	120	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Atwood	Record daily precipitation	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	6.1 mm (0.24 in)	96	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Dresden	Record daily precipitation	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	8.1 mm (0.32 in)	116	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Oberlin	Record daily precipitation	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	8.9 mm (0.35 in)	104	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Saint Francis	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	40	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Brusett 3 E	Record daily precipitation	15.7 mm (0.6 in)	9.3 mm (0.37 in)	43	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Madrid	Record daily precipitation	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	9.1 mm (0.36 in)	84	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Springview 2NW	Record daily precipitation	17.3 mm (0.7 in)	10.7 mm (0.4 in)	89	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Wilsonville	Record daily precipitation	12.2 mm (0.5 in)	7.1 mm (0.28 in)	120	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Cottonwood 2 E	Record daily precipitation	8.9 mm (0.35 in)	2.8 mm (0.11 in)	104	20 of 100 (Routine)
2018-12-02	Gregory	Record daily precipitation	19.1 mm (0.8 in)	11.5 mm (0.5 in)	84	20 of 100 (Routine)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 162 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Related Headlines

Third party news, headline and link only

Download the Data

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
19	84
35	72
14	105
22	40
32	32
11	89
9	104
13	84
16	40
9	84
12	84
20	36
7	84
8	116
7	120
7	120
3	104
9	43
8	84
6	96
12	40
9	40
3	112
3	116
9	64
5	52
3	96
1	112
27	32
1	120
6	43
6	52
16	49
13	37
3	64
15	49
18	49
16	33
4	52
8	68
1	84
12	49
1	89
8	68
1	84
2	81
3	53
18	32
8	64
5	64
9	32
1	75
6	49
6	53
6	40
5	68
7	65
4	64
1	72
5	68
11	11
2	68
3	64
2	64
7	40
1	30
5	40
17	11
3	40
8	27
4	40
1	53
13	11
10	32
11	11
18	20
7	51
6	33
9	32
3	36
7	32
7	32
5	41
5	36
14	27
3	36
2	43
11	32
6	36
4	32
3	40
6	32
15	12
7	11
4	32
1	40
5	40
3	25
12	32
14	11
3	40
2	32
2	11
1	40
5	36
3	40
4	32
2	36
9	11
7	24
5	11
1	32
3	11
6	32
1	32
1	36
4	39
4	11
7	11
1	32
4	37
4	11
1	32
3	27
2	32
1	32
3	11
1	43
2	27
1	32
6	8
1	32
2	32
0	32
1	21
2	32
1	21
8	11
2	32
2	11
4	11
2	32
3	11
1	32
1	33
1	11
1	32
4	11
5	11
0	32
3	11
3	7
0	11
0	11
5	7
1	11
5	4
2	9
3	11
1	11
1	15
1	3

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
19	84
35	72
14	105
22	40
32	32
11	89
9	104
13	84
16	40
9	84
12	84
20	36
7	84
8	116
7	120
7	120
3	104
9	43
8	84
6	96
12	40
9	40
3	112
3	116
9	64
5	52
3	96
1	112
27	32
1	120
6	43
6	52
16	49
13	37
3	64
15	49
18	49
16	33
4	52
8	68
1	84
12	49
1	89
8	68
1	84
2	81
3	53
18	32
8	64
5	64
9	32
1	75
6	49
6	53
6	40
5	68
7	65
4	64
1	72
5	68
11	11
2	68
3	64
2	64
7	40
1	30
5	40
17	11
3	40
8	27
4	40
1	53
13	11
10	32
11	11
18	20
7	51
6	33
9	32
3	36
7	32
7	32
5	41
5	36
14	27
3	36
2	43
11	32
6	36
4	32
3	40
6	32
15	12
7	11
4	32
1	40
5	40
3	25
12	32
14	11
3	40
2	32
2	11
1	40
5	36
3	40
4	32
2	36
9	11
7	24
5	11
1	32
3	11
6	32
1	32
1	36
4	39
4	11
7	11
1	32
4	37
4	11
1	32
3	27
2	32
1	32
3	11
1	43
2	27
1	32
6	8
1	32
2	32
0	32
1	21
2	32
1	21
8	11
2	32
2	11
4	11
2	32
3	11
1	32
1	33
1	11
1	32
4	11
5	11
0	32
3	11
3	7
0	11
0	11
5	7
1	11
5	4
2	9
3	11
1	11
1	15
1	3

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
19	84
35	72
14	105
22	40
32	32
11	89
9	104
13	84
16	40
9	84
12	84
20	36
7	84
8	116
7	120
7	120
3	104
9	43
8	84
6	96
12	40
9	40
3	112
3	116
9	64
5	52
3	96
1	112
27	32
1	120
6	43
6	52
16	49
13	37
3	64
15	49
18	49
16	33
4	52
8	68
1	84
12	49
1	89
8	68
1	84
2	81
3	53
18	32
8	64
5	64
9	32
1	75
6	49
6	53
6	40
5	68
7	65
4	64
1	72
5	68
11	11
2	68
3	64
2	64
7	40
1	30
5	40
17	11
3	40
8	27
4	40
1	53
13	11
10	32
11	11
18	20
7	51
6	33
9	32
3	36
7	32
7	32
5	41
5	36
14	27
3	36
2	43
11	32
6	36
4	32
3	40
6	32
15	12
7	11
4	32
1	40
5	40
3	25
12	32
14	11
3	40
2	32
2	11
1	40
5	36
3	40
4	32
2	36
9	11
7	24
5	11
1	32
3	11
6	32
1	32
1	36
4	39
4	11
7	11
1	32
4	37
4	11
1	32
3	27
2	32
1	32
3	11
1	43
2	27
1	32
6	8
1	32
2	32
0	32
1	21
2	32
1	21
8	11
2	32
2	11
4	11
2	32
3	11
1	32
1	33
1	11
1	32
4	11
5	11
0	32
3	11
3	7
0	11
0	11
5	7
1	11
5	4
2	9
3	11
1	11
1	15
1	3