Wettest counties in Ohio
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 Ohio 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. Montgomery County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.11 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.76 inches below norm
#49. Mahoning County
- Precipitation over the past year: 36.39 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.74 inches below norm
#48. Ashtabula County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.19 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.66 inches above norm
#47. Delaware County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.38 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.49 inches above norm
#46. Morrow County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.67 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.57 inches above norm
#45. Tuscarawas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.25 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.79 inches above norm
#44. Greene County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.79 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.82 inches below norm
#43. Holmes County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.34 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.20 inches above norm
#42. Geauga County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.05 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.49 inches above norm
#41. Preble County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.00 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.50 inches below norm
#40. Trumbull County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.38 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.70 inches above norm
#39. Fayette County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.97 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.59 inches above norm
#38. Champaign County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.23 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.38 inches above norm
#37. Franklin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.40 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.16 inches above norm
#36. Pickaway County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.27 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.09 inches above norm
#35. Knox County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.41 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.06 inches above norm
#34. Coshocton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.07 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.30 inches above norm
#33. Clark County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.45 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.85 inches above norm
#32. Carroll County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.41 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.67 inches above norm
#31. Fairfield County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.17 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.48 inches above norm
#30. Hocking County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.00 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.74 inches above norm
#29. Butler County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.89 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.34 inches above norm
#28. Guernsey County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.82 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.51 inches above norm
#27. Warren County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.12 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.38 inches below norm
#26. Muskingum County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.59 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.57 inches above norm
#25. Harrison County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.79 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.36 inches above norm
#24. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.60 inches (#107 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.81 inches above norm
#23. Columbiana County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.47 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.61 inches above norm
#22. Clinton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.80 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.34 inches below norm
#21. Noble County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.73 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.23 inches above norm
#20. Licking County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.75 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.11 inches above norm
#19. Morgan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.79 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.15 inches above norm
#18. Vinton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.80 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.15 inches above norm
#17. Perry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.08 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.72 inches above norm
#16. Ross County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.28 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.12 inches above norm
#15. Washington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.48 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.72 inches above norm
#14. Gallia County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.39 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.78 inches below norm
#13. Hamilton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.67 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.83 inches above norm
#12. Athens County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.28 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.19 inches above norm
#11. Jackson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.82 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.34 inches below norm
#10. Lawrence County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.47 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.46 inches below norm
#9. Meigs County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.06 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.50 inches above norm
#8. Scioto County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.85 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.88 inches below norm
#7. Belmont County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.19 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.41 inches above norm
#6. Pike County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.20 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.32 inches above norm
#5. Clermont County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.90 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.12 inches above norm
#4. Highland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.26 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.79 inches above norm
#3. Monroe County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.40 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.13 inches above norm
#2. Brown County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.70 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.31 inches above norm
#1. Adams County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.88 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.01 inches above norm