Wettest counties in Iowa
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 Iowa 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. Warren County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.58 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.35 inches below norm
#49. Tama County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.46 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.66 inches below norm
#48. Hardin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.89 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.86 inches above norm
#47. Mahaska County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.43 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.40 inches below norm
#46. Taylor County
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.08 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.31 inches below norm
#45. Franklin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.87 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.03 inches below norm
#44. Marion County
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.98 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.60 inches below norm
#43. Clarke County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.82 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.90 inches below norm
#42. Story County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.97 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.06 inches above norm
#41. Wapello County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.00 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.50 inches below norm
#40. Cerro Gordo County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.51 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.72 inches above norm
#39. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 28.97 inches (#23 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.96 inches below norm
#38. Grundy County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.89 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.77 inches above norm
#37. Van Buren County
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.44 inches (#25 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.66 inches below norm
#36. Poweshiek County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.14 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.96 inches below norm
#35. Monroe County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.06 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.20 inches below norm
#34. Washington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 28.82 inches (#22 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.48 inches below norm
#33. Worth County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.03 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.12 inches above norm
#32. Butler County
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.32 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.47 inches above norm
#31. Ringgold County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.14 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.49 inches below norm
#30. Linn County
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.11 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.07 inches above norm
#29. Lucas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.36 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.49 inches below norm
#28. Louisa County
- Precipitation over the past year: 28.88 inches (#26 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.55 inches below norm
#27. Henry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.55 inches (#22 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.72 inches below norm
#26. Decatur County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.96 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.32 inches below norm
#25. Johnson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.36 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.41 inches below norm
#24. Davis County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.66 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.60 inches below norm
#23. Des Moines County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.62 inches (#32 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.59 inches below norm
#22. Muscatine County
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.16 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.32 inches below norm
#21. Black Hawk County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.21 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.74 inches above norm
#20. Mitchell County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.16 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.18 inches above norm
#19. Wayne County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.19 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.87 inches below norm
#18. Jones County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.16 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.51 inches above norm
#17. Cedar County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.62 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.46 inches above norm
#16. Floyd County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.12 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.00 inches above norm
#15. Buchanan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.79 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.58 inches above norm
#14. Appanoose County
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.51 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.67 inches below norm
#13. Lee County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.01 inches (#39 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.51 inches below norm
#12. Scott County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.12 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.22 inches above norm
#11. Fayette County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.70 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.40 inches above norm
#10. Dubuque County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.78 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.37 inches above norm
#9. Bremer County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.46 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.25 inches above norm
#8. Clinton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.51 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.54 inches above norm
#7. Howard County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.27 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.70 inches above norm
#6. Jackson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.41 inches (#101 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.34 inches above norm
#5. Delaware County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.19 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.86 inches above norm
#4. Chickasaw County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.73 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.36 inches above norm
#3. Clayton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.65 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.45 inches above norm
#2. Winneshiek County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.59 inches (#107 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.50 inches above norm
#1. Allamakee County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.97 inches (#109 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.21 inches above norm