Dear Tom,
All the rain and snow that has fallen here recently makes me wonder: Has there ever been a day with no precipitation anywhere in the entire country?
— Todd Morris
Dear Todd,
It’s highly unlikely, and records of such occurrences are not kept. On rare occasions, there may be a few precipitation-free hours across the 48 states, but certainly not through an entire 24-hour period.
Because of the nation’s great size, at least one or two precipitation-generating weather systems almost always are present somewhere in the United States.
But even lacking organized storm systems, isolated afternoon thunderstorms are a certainty across the mountainous terrain of the West during the warm season, and lake-effect snow is usually present somewhere in the Great Lakes region during the cold season.
Finally, moist air pushing inland from the Pacific Ocean usually generates at least a few patches of rain or snow as it confronts the higher elevations of the mountains.
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Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or: asktomwhy@wgntv.com
Weather Report is prepared by the WGN-TV Weather Center, where Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN News at noon and 9 p.m.
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