Wettest counties in South Dakota
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 Dakota 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. Potter County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.90 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.22 inches above norm
#49. Hughes County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.47 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.25 inches above norm
#48. Walworth County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.17 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.24 inches above norm
#47. Jones County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.95 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.45 inches below norm
#46. Edmunds County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.42 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.52 inches above norm
#45. McPherson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.49 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.77 inches above norm
#44. Mellette County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.35 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.08 inches above norm
#43. Faulk County
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.36 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.48 inches above norm
#42. Brown County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.66 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.53 inches above norm
#41. Hyde County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.37 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.22 inches above norm
#40. Bennett County
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.50 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.76 inches below norm
#39. Lyman County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.68 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.31 inches above norm
#38. Tripp County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.59 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.52 inches below norm
#37. Spink County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.19 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.13 inches above norm
#36. Buffalo County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.63 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.69 inches above norm
#35. Jerauld County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.23 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.60 inches below norm
#34. Beadle County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.66 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.65 inches below norm
#33. Brule County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.73 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.45 inches below norm
#32. Sanborn County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.43 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.68 inches below norm
#31. Marshall County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.89 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.22 inches below norm
#30. Aurora County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.72 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.76 inches below norm
#29. Todd County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.14 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.28 inches below norm
#28. Hand County
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.04 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.66 inches above norm
#27. Day County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.91 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.82 inches below norm
#26. Lawrence County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.36 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.51 inches below norm
#25. Miner County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.06 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.02 inches below norm
#24. Clark County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.43 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.49 inches below norm
#23. Davison County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.72 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.06 inches below norm
#22. Roberts County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.55 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.46 inches below norm
#21. Hanson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.38 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.86 inches below norm
#20. Gregory County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.17 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.63 inches below norm
#19. Charles Mix County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.98 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.51 inches below norm
#18. Yankton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.23 inches (#16 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.59 inches below norm
#17. Kingsbury County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.70 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.63 inches below norm
#16. Bon Homme County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.07 inches (#18 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.05 inches below norm
#15. Douglas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.41 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.03 inches below norm
#14. McCook County
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.16 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.74 inches below norm
#13. Clay County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.36 inches (#15 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.15 inches below norm
#12. Hutchinson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.08 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.58 inches below norm
#11. Grant County
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.43 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.86 inches below norm
#10. Codington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.07 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.12 inches above norm
#9. Union County
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.94 inches (#15 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.13 inches below norm
#8. Lake County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.12 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.56 inches below norm
#7. Hamlin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.38 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.34 inches below norm
#6. Turner County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.24 inches (#20 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.95 inches below norm
#5. Deuel County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.83 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.93 inches above norm
#4. Minnehaha County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.48 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.62 inches below norm
#3. Brookings County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.78 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.66 inches above norm
#2. Moody County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.72 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.22 inches below norm
#1. Lincoln County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.81 inches (#19 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.93 inches below norm