Wettest counties in Oregon
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 Oregon 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.
#36. Gilliam County
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.65 inches (#101 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.43 inches above norm
#35. Harney County
- Precipitation over the past year: 10.86 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.98 inches below norm
#34. Lake County
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.08 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.31 inches below norm
#33. Sherman County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.44 inches (#106 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.29 inches above norm
#32. Crook County
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.62 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.05 inches below norm
#31. Malheur County
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.33 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.23 inches below norm
#30. Morrow County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.81 inches (#109 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.71 inches above norm
#29. Wheeler County
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.47 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.56 inches below norm
#28. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.83 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.52 inches below norm
#27. Wasco County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.97 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.21 inches below norm
#26. Grant County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.49 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.28 inches below norm
#25. Deschutes County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.78 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.85 inches below norm
#24. Baker County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.19 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.95 inches below norm
#23. Umatilla County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.88 inches (#111 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.50 inches above norm
#22. Klamath County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.14 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.92 inches below norm
#21. Wallowa County
- Precipitation over the past year: 26.34 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.10 inches below norm
#20. Union County
- Precipitation over the past year: 28.23 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.52 inches below norm
#19. Jackson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 32.88 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.93 inches below norm
#18. Douglas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.08 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.18 inches below norm
#17. Josephine County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.06 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.30 inches below norm
#16. Washington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.95 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.84 inches below norm
#15. Columbia County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.46 inches (#31 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.98 inches below norm
#14. Benton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 55.87 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.31 inches below norm
#13. Hood River County
- Precipitation over the past year: 57.73 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.71 inches below norm
#12. Yamhill County
- Precipitation over the past year: 56.85 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.08 inches below norm
#11. Lane County
- Precipitation over the past year: 59.92 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.06 inches below norm
#10. Marion County
- Precipitation over the past year: 61.55 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.04 inches below norm
#9. Multnomah County
- Precipitation over the past year: 62.22 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.26 inches below norm
#8. Coos County
- Precipitation over the past year: 59.41 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -9.45 inches below norm
#7. Polk County
- Precipitation over the past year: 62.89 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.83 inches below norm
#6. Linn County
- Precipitation over the past year: 64.82 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.76 inches below norm
#5. Clackamas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 72.83 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.52 inches below norm
#4. Curry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.62 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.51 inches below norm
#3. Clatsop County
- Precipitation over the past year: 78.19 inches (#31 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -10.96 inches below norm
#2. Lincoln County
- Precipitation over the past year: 88.90 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.05 inches below norm
#1. Tillamook County
- Precipitation over the past year: 95.53 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.66 inches below norm