Wettest counties in Missouri

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 Missouri 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. Jasper County

- Five-year precipitation average: 45.50 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.67 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.65 inches below norm

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#49. Vernon County

- Five-year precipitation average: 45.55 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.55 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.82 inches below norm

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#48. Phelps County

- Five-year precipitation average: 45.58 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.68 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.99 inches above norm

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#47. Cedar County

- Five-year precipitation average: 45.69 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.20 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.78 inches below norm

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#46. St. Clair County

- Five-year precipitation average: 45.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.15 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.78 inches below norm

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#45. Pulaski County

- Five-year precipitation average: 46.16 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.02 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.56 inches above norm

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#44. Bates County

- Five-year precipitation average: 46.42 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.63 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.38 inches above norm

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#43. Dade County

- Five-year precipitation average: 46.71 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.28 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.94 inches above norm

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#42. Hickory County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.20 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.00 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.70 inches above norm

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#41. Jefferson County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.20 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.44 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.75 inches above norm

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#40. Crawford County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.35 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.88 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.30 inches above norm

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#39. Polk County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.35 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.64 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.56 inches above norm

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#38. Ste. Genevieve County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.75 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.85 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.54 inches above norm

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#37. Newton County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.93 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.38 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.08 inches above norm

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#36. Greene County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.98 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.01 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.03 inches above norm

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#35. Dallas County

- Five-year precipitation average: 48.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.47 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.66 inches above norm

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#34. Texas County

- Five-year precipitation average: 48.83 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.01 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.79 inches above norm

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#33. Laclede County

- Five-year precipitation average: 48.88 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.41 inches (#103 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.21 inches above norm

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#32. Dent County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.57 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.23 inches above norm

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#31. Christian County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.29 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.23 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.04 inches above norm

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#30. Lawrence County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.43 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.98 inches (#94 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.98 inches above norm

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#29. Wright County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.83 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.54 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.57 inches above norm

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#28. Webster County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.91 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.47 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.43 inches above norm

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#27. Perry County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.10 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.56 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.56 inches below norm

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#26. St. Francois County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.03 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.50 inches above norm

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#25. Shannon County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.47 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.59 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.58 inches below norm

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#24. Stone County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.60 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.04 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.97 inches above norm

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#23. Howell County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.72 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.60 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.74 inches above norm

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#22. Reynolds County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.28 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.95 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.69 inches below norm

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#21. Carter County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.79 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.35 inches below norm

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#20. Washington County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.42 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.70 inches (#91 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.66 inches above norm

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#19. Oregon County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.45 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.09 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.41 inches above norm

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#18. McDonald County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.57 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.99 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.17 inches above norm

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#17. Barry County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.98 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.21 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.78 inches above norm

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#16. Scott County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.22 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.58 inches (#39 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.08 inches below norm

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#15. Cape Girardeau County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.45 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.45 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.20 inches below norm

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#14. Iron County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.75 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.08 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.88 inches above norm

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#13. Wayne County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.91 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.93 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.97 inches below norm

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#12. Pemiscot County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.16 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.43 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.17 inches below norm

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#11. Douglas County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.35 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.99 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.53 inches above norm

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#10. Taney County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.56 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.17 inches (#105 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.57 inches above norm

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#9. Stoddard County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.84 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.48 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.16 inches below norm

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#8. Madison County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.99 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.08 inches above norm

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#7. Bollinger County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.16 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.01 inches below norm

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#6. Mississippi County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.94 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.53 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.03 inches below norm

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#5. New Madrid County

- Five-year precipitation average: 54.08 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.93 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.58 inches below norm

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#4. Ozark County

- Five-year precipitation average: 54.53 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.81 inches (#104 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.79 inches above norm

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#3. Ripley County

- Five-year precipitation average: 54.66 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.24 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.35 inches above norm

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#2. Dunklin County

- Five-year precipitation average: 55.67 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.53 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.55 inches above norm

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#1. Butler County

- Five-year precipitation average: 56.09 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.33 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.08 inches above norm

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