Rain, sleet, snow, hail, wintry mix. Precipitation takes on many forms, and the degree to which climate change affects precipitation levels comes down to something almost everyone learns about in school—Earth's water cycle. A system in endless motion, the water cycle traces the process through which water exists in its three primary phases—liquid, solid, and gas—as it moves perpetually between the Earth and its atmosphere.
Increases in precipitation frequency and intensity are markers of climate change. When temperatures rise and oceans grow warmer, the amount of water that evaporates into the atmosphere—and the speed at which it does so—also increases. As atmospheric circulation carries the moisture-rich air over land or pushes it into a storm system, heavy rain or snow is often the result.
The continental U.S. on average received about 30 inches of precipitation between March 2022 and February 2023. Traditionally "wet" regions—such as Washington state and Alaska in the northwest and Georgia and Mississippi in the southeast—continue to have some of the rainiest counties in the United States. Other areas such as Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as pockets of the South and of California, experience the opposite extreme: drought, also largely a product of climate change.
Stacker cited data from the National Centers for Environmental Information to identify the counties in Colorado that receive the most precipitation through rain, sleet, or snow. Counties are ranked by five-year precipitation averages in inches as of February 2023 with rainfall over the past year serving as a tiebreaker. Supplementary data on how last year's precipitation compares to the 100-year average for the area is also included.
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#50. Rio Grande County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.32 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.14 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.56 inches above norm
#49. Broomfield County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.59 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.48 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.25 inches below norm
#48. Arapahoe County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.78 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.60 inches (#22 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.30 inches below norm
#47. Las Animas County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.80 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.63 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.66 inches below norm
#46. El Paso County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.91 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.69 inches (#24 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.34 inches below norm
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#45. Washington County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.99 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.00 inches (#20 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.50 inches below norm
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7 / 50#44. Logan County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.05 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.27 inches (#10 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.36 inches below norm
#43. Prowers County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.64 inches (#30 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.53 inches below norm
#42. Moffat County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.36 inches (#106 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.52 inches above norm
#41. Montezuma County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.33 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.00 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.84 inches above norm
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#40. Kit Carson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.39 inches (#22 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.45 inches below norm
#39. Baca County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.39 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.87 inches (#23 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.10 inches below norm
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13 / 50#38. Elbert County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.44 inches (#12 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.13 inches below norm
#37. Saguache County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.71 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.37 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.76 inches above norm
#36. Yuma County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.95 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.33 inches (#18 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.22 inches below norm
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#35. Mesa County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.20 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.16 inches (#102 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.28 inches above norm
#34. Phillips County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.27 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.54 inches (#6 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.41 inches below norm
#33. San Miguel County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.65 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.58 inches above norm
#32. Douglas County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.46 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.62 inches (#21 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.61 inches below norm
#31. Delta County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.62 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.23 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.58 inches above norm
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#30. Costilla County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.67 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.04 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.44 inches above norm
#29. Huerfano County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.91 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.99 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.08 inches above norm
#28. Chaffee County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.02 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.90 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.31 inches above norm
#27. Conejos County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.10 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.55 inches (#105 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.33 inches above norm
#26. Park County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.22 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.70 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.34 inches above norm
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#25. Jefferson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.30 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.79 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.39 inches below norm
#24. Sedgwick County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.58 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.80 inches (#7 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.31 inches below norm
#23. Teller County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.73 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.85 inches (#17 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.33 inches below norm
#22. Custer County
- Five-year precipitation average: 17.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.92 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.56 inches below norm
#21. Rio Blanco County
- Five-year precipitation average: 18.11 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.99 inches (#117 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.16 inches above norm
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#20. Ouray County
- Five-year precipitation average: 18.16 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.64 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.68 inches below norm
#19. La Plata County
- Five-year precipitation average: 18.96 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.65 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.28 inches above norm
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33 / 50#18. Boulder County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.51 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.57 inches below norm
#17. Larimer County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.08 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.95 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.03 inches below norm
#16. Dolores County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.17 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.95 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.63 inches above norm
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#15. Archuleta County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.89 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.20 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.84 inches above norm
#14. Gunnison County
- Five-year precipitation average: 20.50 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.73 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.52 inches above norm
#13. Garfield County
- Five-year precipitation average: 20.75 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 26.74 inches (#114 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.26 inches above norm
#12. Grand County
- Five-year precipitation average: 20.79 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.28 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.93 inches above norm
#11. Gilpin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 21.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.19 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.31 inches above norm
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#10. Eagle County
- Five-year precipitation average: 21.69 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.94 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.07 inches below norm
#9. Jackson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 22.39 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.31 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.20 inches above norm
#8. Lake County
- Five-year precipitation average: 23.70 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.50 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.30 inches above norm
#7. Routt County
- Five-year precipitation average: 23.96 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.55 inches (#110 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.51 inches above norm
#6. Summit County
- Five-year precipitation average: 24.33 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 26.80 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.29 inches above norm
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#5. Clear Creek County
- Five-year precipitation average: 24.41 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 26.95 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.93 inches above norm
#4. Mineral County
- Five-year precipitation average: 25.73 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.77 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.24 inches above norm
#3. Hinsdale County
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.59 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.64 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.79 inches above norm
#2. Pitkin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 27.45 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.98 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.85 inches above norm
#1. San Juan County
- Five-year precipitation average: 35.61 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.16 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.46 inches above norm
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