Wettest counties in Indiana
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 Indiana 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.
#50. Hendricks County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.62 inches (#32 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.89 inches below norm
#49. Randolph County
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.33 inches (#27 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.47 inches below norm
#48. Marion County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.84 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.30 inches below norm
#47. Parke County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.02 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.84 inches below norm
#46. Putnam County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.13 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.30 inches below norm
#45. Vigo County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.80 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.78 inches below norm
#44. Henry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.75 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.02 inches below norm
#43. Wayne County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.49 inches (#34 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.06 inches below norm
#42. Hancock County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.54 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.81 inches below norm
#41. Johnson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.56 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.08 inches below norm
#40. Morgan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.84 inches (#39 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.76 inches below norm
#39. Franklin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.31 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.26 inches below norm
#38. Union County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.34 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.88 inches below norm
#37. Clay County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.40 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.19 inches below norm
#36. Fayette County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.05 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.09 inches below norm
#35. Rush County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.97 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.48 inches below norm
#34. Shelby County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.22 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.36 inches below norm
#33. Sullivan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.54 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.40 inches below norm
#32. Owen County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.32 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.61 inches below norm
#31. Monroe County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.99 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.80 inches below norm
#30. Dearborn County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.78 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.75 inches above norm
#29. Brown County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.55 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.26 inches below norm
#28. Decatur County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.57 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.98 inches below norm
#27. Bartholomew County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.14 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.09 inches below norm
#26. Posey County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.32 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.63 inches below norm
#25. Jennings County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.45 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.15 inches below norm
#24. Ripley County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.73 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.59 inches below norm
#23. Greene County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.97 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.70 inches below norm
#22. Vanderburgh County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.35 inches (#30 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.57 inches below norm
#21. Jackson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.60 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.73 inches below norm
#20. Ohio County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.70 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.21 inches above norm
#19. Gibson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.91 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.36 inches below norm
#18. Scott County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.74 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.19 inches above norm
#17. Daviess County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.33 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.25 inches above norm
#16. Knox County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.01 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.32 inches above norm
#15. Switzerland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.21 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.01 inches above norm
#14. Pike County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.37 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.78 inches above norm
#13. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.59 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.37 inches above norm
#12. Warrick County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.41 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.39 inches below norm
#11. Lawrence County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.00 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.09 inches above norm
#10. Washington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.47 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.63 inches below norm
#9. Spencer County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.63 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.03 inches below norm
#8. Floyd County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.66 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.85 inches below norm
#7. Harrison County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.01 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.49 inches below norm
#6. Clark County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.94 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.26 inches below norm
#5. Martin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.85 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.93 inches above norm
#4. Dubois County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.80 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.53 inches above norm
#3. Perry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.24 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.82 inches above norm
#2. Crawford County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.65 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.34 inches above norm
#1. Orange County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.04 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.15 inches above norm