2011 Was a Wet One

It's official: Chicago has its second wettest year on record in 2011, according to the National Weather Service.

With the .06 inches of rain that fell last night, Chicago got just enough of a bump to surpass 1983 as the second wettest year since records started being kept in 1871, the Chicago Tribune reported. We're only 1.45 inches of rain away from beating 1998 as the wettest year ever, and with the forecast for the upcoming week showing rain, we might just make it.

As a 5 a.m., the official total precipitation for Chicago was at 49.41 inches, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The all-time record held by 1998 produced 50.86 inches. Generally, Chicago gets about 36.89 inches of rain a year.

The increase is largely due to a  that swept through the area and higher than average rainfall in May and June.

While it's possible 2011 could set another record, it's unlikely, the National Weather Service said. This week will bring rain and snow from Thursday morning through Friday evening. You can see the full forecast here.

It probably wont be enough to push our total over 1998's all time record, but then again, with the weather we've had this year, anything is possible.