Rainfall comparison: 2024 vs. 2025 in the Big Country

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Last year may not stick out in everyone’s memory, but 2024 turned out to be a fairly wet year. While not every month was above average, enough rainfall fell throughout the year to push us above normal overall, making 2024 the 40th wettest year on record. That’s a solid spot considering the amount of data we have on file.

For 2025, the outlook isn’t as optimistic. In the first nine months of the year, six months recorded below-average conditions, which matches the total we experienced throughout all of 2024. With only three months left in the year, the situation doesn’t appear promising. Some months in 2025 have surpassed their counterparts from 2024, and if we receive more rainfall before the year ends, we may come close to last year’s totals. However, based on the Climate Prediction Center’s forecasts, this possibility seems increasingly unlikely.

Let’s break down a few month-to-month comparisons:

• January 2024 vs. 2025: January 2024 started off strong with 2.29” of rain, above normal, and wetter than what we saw this past January.
• April 2024 vs. 2025: April 2024 also finished above average with 2.41”. But April 2025 surprised us all, coming in as the wettest month of the year so far at 5.98”.
• May 2024 vs. 2025: May 2024 brought 5.04” of rain, while May 2025 saw only 2.80”, below the monthly normal of 3.21”.
• July 2024 vs. 2025: July 2024 was bone-dry with just 0.13” of rain, one of the driest months of the year. July 2025, however, bounced back with 2.07”, above average for the month.
• September 2024 vs. 2025: September 2024 was a standout, delivering 6.45” of rain, more than 2.5” above normal, which gave a huge boost to the year’s total. September 2025, by contrast, only brought 1.33”, which is 1.34” below average and has contributed to flash drought conditions and heightened fire danger.

Looking at October, we’re already running 3.44” below last year’s total at this point. That deficit puts added pressure on the previous few months of 2025. Without more rain, drought and fire danger could carry over into spring when those “wild west” winds pick up.

Year to year, we’ll never see the same conditions. However, transitioning from a wetter year like 2024 directly into a much drier one like 2025 creates a significant whiplash effect. As it stands, it’s not looking as promising as we’d like, but as always, the forecast can change, so we’ll keep a close eye on it.