Wettest counties in Montana
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 Montana 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. Chouteau County
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.08 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.72 inches below norm
#49. McCone County
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.82 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.97 inches below norm
#48. Blaine County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.14 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.53 inches above norm
#47. Daniels County
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.82 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.43 inches below norm
#46. Richland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.05 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.39 inches above norm
#45. Prairie County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.42 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.65 inches above norm
#44. Garfield County
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.95 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.24 inches above norm
#43. Sheridan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.43 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.37 inches below norm
#42. Petroleum County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.00 inches (#91 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.94 inches above norm
#41. Custer County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.79 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.19 inches above norm
#40. Dawson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.87 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.62 inches above norm
#39. Broadwater County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.39 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.32 inches above norm
#38. Rosebud County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.82 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.19 inches above norm
#37. Fallon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.96 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.86 inches above norm
#36. Pondera County
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.35 inches (#26 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.33 inches below norm
#35. Powder River County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.58 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.99 inches above norm
#34. Yellowstone County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.66 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.14 inches above norm
#33. Treasure County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.03 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.51 inches above norm
#32. Wibaux County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.47 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.15 inches above norm
#31. Musselshell County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.22 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.63 inches above norm
#30. Golden Valley County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.92 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.83 inches above norm
#29. Cascade County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.73 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.50 inches below norm
#28. Big Horn County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.53 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.00 inches above norm
#27. Wheatland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.50 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.49 inches below norm
#26. Carter County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.36 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.06 inches above norm
#25. Fergus County
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.78 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.44 inches above norm
#24. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.72 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.78 inches below norm
#23. Teton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.74 inches (#28 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.17 inches below norm
#22. Silver Bow County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.05 inches (#24 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.67 inches below norm
#21. Carbon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.98 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.42 inches above norm
#20. Judith Basin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.38 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.41 inches below norm
#19. Beaverhead County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.53 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.81 inches below norm
#18. Stillwater County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.59 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.69 inches above norm
#17. Sweet Grass County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.78 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.02 inches above norm
#16. Meagher County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.42 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.55 inches below norm
#15. Deer Lodge County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.75 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.08 inches below norm
#14. Glacier County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.96 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.54 inches below norm
#13. Lewis and Clark County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.49 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.50 inches below norm
#12. Madison County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.80 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.70 inches above norm
#11. Granite County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.30 inches (#27 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.28 inches below norm
#10. Gallatin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.30 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.02 inches above norm
#9. Lake County
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.84 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.81 inches above norm
#8. Park County
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.60 inches (#107 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.37 inches above norm
#7. Powell County
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.02 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.74 inches below norm
#6. Ravalli County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.53 inches (#29 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.04 inches below norm
#5. Lincoln County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.01 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.46 inches below norm
#4. Missoula County
- Precipitation over the past year: 27.27 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.62 inches below norm
#3. Sanders County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.44 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.49 inches below norm
#2. Flathead County
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.76 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.48 inches below norm
#1. Mineral County
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.23 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.14 inches below norm