Of the 173 key index stations in the USGS reporting network of streamgaging stations across the country, 50 percent of the stations recorded flows for 1996 that were well above normal -- in the highest 25 percent of the historic record. On the drier side, well below normal flows -- within the lowest 25 percent of record -- were recorded at 29 percent of the stations, mostly in the Southwest, Gulf Coast area and Florida.
The wet trend is evident on both coasts:
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