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.
#46. Lancaster County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.31 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.28 inches below norm
#45. Kershaw County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.07 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.82 inches below norm
#44. Fairfield County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.34 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.75 inches above norm
#43. York County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.32 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.62 inches below norm
#42. Chester County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.33 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.85 inches below norm
#41. Cherokee County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.50 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.56 inches below norm
#40. Richland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.55 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.15 inches above norm
#39. Beaufort County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.97 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.22 inches below norm
#38. Jasper County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.98 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.34 inches below norm
#37. Union County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.33 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.22 inches above norm
#36. Lexington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.52 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.76 inches above norm
#35. Edgefield County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.79 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.09 inches below norm
#34. Newberry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.04 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.96 inches above norm
#33. McCormick County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.85 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.92 inches below norm
#32. Calhoun County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.86 inches (#94 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.71 inches above norm
#31. Laurens County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.23 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.21 inches above norm
#30. Saluda County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.34 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.23 inches above norm
#29. Orangeburg County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.65 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.91 inches above norm
#28. Dorchester County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.26 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.51 inches above norm
#27. Berkeley County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.96 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.45 inches above norm
#26. Greenwood County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.57 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.54 inches above norm
#25. Marlboro County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.92 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.98 inches below norm
#24. Sumter County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.55 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.04 inches above norm
#23. Charleston County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.95 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.49 inches above norm
#22. Hampton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.52 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.65 inches below norm
#21. Chesterfield County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.91 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.03 inches above norm
#20. Williamsburg County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.10 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.47 inches above norm
#19. Colleton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.50 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.78 inches above norm
#18. Lee County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.46 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.90 inches below norm
#17. Allendale County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.02 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.56 inches above norm
#16. Clarendon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.16 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.33 inches above norm
#15. Aiken County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.30 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.69 inches above norm
#14. Dillon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.36 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.42 inches below norm
#13. Anderson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.41 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.67 inches below norm
#12. Bamberg County
- Precipitation over the past year: 55.14 inches (#114 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 8.43 inches above norm
#11. Abbeville County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.33 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.27 inches above norm
#10. Florence County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.03 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.94 inches above norm
#9. Barnwell County
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.40 inches (#109 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.16 inches above norm
#8. Darlington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.21 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.39 inches above norm
#7. Georgetown County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.60 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.88 inches below norm
#6. Spartanburg County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.25 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.14 inches below norm
#5. Marion County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.82 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.48 inches below norm
#4. Horry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.20 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.60 inches below norm
#3. Greenville County
- Precipitation over the past year: 54.02 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.81 inches below norm
#2. Pickens County
- Precipitation over the past year: 57.36 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.62 inches below norm
#1. Oconee County
- Precipitation over the past year: 60.13 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.90 inches below norm