Wettest counties in South Carolina

Written by:
May 5, 2023
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Wettest counties in South Carolina

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 South Carolina 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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#46. Lancaster County

- Five-year precipitation average: 45.81 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.31 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.28 inches below norm
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#45. Kershaw County

- Five-year precipitation average: 46.06 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.07 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.82 inches below norm
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#44. Fairfield County

- Five-year precipitation average: 46.74 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.34 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.75 inches above norm
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#43. York County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.11 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.32 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.62 inches below norm
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#42. Chester County

- Five-year precipitation average: 47.41 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.33 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.85 inches below norm
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#41. Cherokee County

- Five-year precipitation average: 48.28 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.50 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.56 inches below norm
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#40. Richland County

- Five-year precipitation average: 48.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.55 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.15 inches above norm
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#39. Beaufort County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.00 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.97 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.22 inches below norm
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#38. Jasper County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.46 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.98 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.34 inches below norm
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#37. Union County

- Five-year precipitation average: 49.95 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.33 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.22 inches above norm
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#36. Lexington County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.06 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.52 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.76 inches above norm
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#35. Edgefield County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.07 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.79 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.09 inches below norm
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#34. Newberry County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.37 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.04 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.96 inches above norm
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#33. McCormick County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.47 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.85 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.92 inches below norm
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#32. Calhoun County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.48 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.86 inches (#94 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.71 inches above norm
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#31. Laurens County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.54 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.23 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.21 inches above norm
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#30. Saluda County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.60 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.34 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.23 inches above norm
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#29. Orangeburg County

- Five-year precipitation average: 50.84 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.65 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.91 inches above norm
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#28. Dorchester County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.05 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.26 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.51 inches above norm
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#27. Berkeley County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.07 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.96 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.45 inches above norm
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#26. Greenwood County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.11 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.57 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.54 inches above norm
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#25. Marlboro County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.28 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.92 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.98 inches below norm
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#24. Sumter County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.32 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.55 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.04 inches above norm
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#23. Charleston County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.37 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.95 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.49 inches above norm
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#22. Hampton County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.39 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.52 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.65 inches below norm
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#21. Chesterfield County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.59 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.91 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.03 inches above norm
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#20. Williamsburg County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.60 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.10 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.47 inches above norm
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#19. Colleton County

- Five-year precipitation average: 51.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.50 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.78 inches above norm
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#18. Lee County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.00 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.46 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.90 inches below norm
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#17. Allendale County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.02 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.02 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.56 inches above norm
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#16. Clarendon County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.09 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.16 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.33 inches above norm
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#15. Aiken County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.51 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.30 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.69 inches above norm
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#14. Dillon County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.73 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.36 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.42 inches below norm
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#13. Anderson County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.92 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.41 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.67 inches below norm
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#12. Bamberg County

- Five-year precipitation average: 52.93 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 55.14 inches (#114 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 8.43 inches above norm
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#11. Abbeville County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.04 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.33 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.27 inches above norm
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#10. Florence County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.11 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.03 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.94 inches above norm
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#9. Barnwell County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.53 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.40 inches (#109 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.16 inches above norm
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#8. Darlington County

- Five-year precipitation average: 53.54 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.21 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.39 inches above norm
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#7. Georgetown County

- Five-year precipitation average: 54.43 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.60 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.88 inches below norm
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#6. Spartanburg County

- Five-year precipitation average: 54.80 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.25 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.14 inches below norm
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#5. Marion County

- Five-year precipitation average: 55.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.82 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.48 inches below norm
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#4. Horry County

- Five-year precipitation average: 56.19 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.20 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.60 inches below norm
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#3. Greenville County

- Five-year precipitation average: 60.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 54.02 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.81 inches below norm
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#2. Pickens County

- Five-year precipitation average: 65.32 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 57.36 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.62 inches below norm
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#1. Oconee County

- Five-year precipitation average: 67.93 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 60.13 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.90 inches below norm

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