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 boroughs 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 boroughs in Alaska that receive the most precipitation through rain, sleet, or snow. Boroughs 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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#30. North Slope Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.20 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.37 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.46 inches above norm
#29. Northwest Arctic Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.66 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.38 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.39 inches above norm
#28. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 17.16 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.94 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.42 inches below norm
#27. Nome Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 18.25 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.04 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.92 inches above norm
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5 / 30#26. Fairbanks North Star Borough
#25. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 22.80 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.40 inches (#91 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.63 inches above norm
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7 / 30#24. Kusilvak Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 24.33 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.49 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.54 inches above norm
#23. Bethel Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 25.99 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.50 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.41 inches above norm
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9 / 30#22. Bristol Bay Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.24 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.04 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 8.19 inches above norm
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10 / 30#21. Denali Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.81 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.05 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.60 inches above norm
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#20. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 38.58 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.36 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 8.01 inches above norm
#19. Lake and Peninsula Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 41.30 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.11 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.83 inches above norm
#18. Dillingham Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 41.76 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.98 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.68 inches above norm
#17. Aleutians East Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 49.94 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.37 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.06 inches below norm
#16. Copper River Census Area
#15. Aleutians West Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 55.45 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.02 inches (#5 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -17.09 inches below norm
#14. Kenai Peninsula Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 60.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 57.91 inches (#30 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.80 inches below norm
#13. Kodiak Island Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 64.51 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 65.83 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.08 inches above norm
#12. Anchorage Municipality
- Five-year precipitation average: 68.34 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 72.32 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.30 inches above norm
#11. Skagway Municipality
- Five-year precipitation average: 77.74 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 85.54 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 8.99 inches above norm
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#10. Haines Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 92.71 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 101.97 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 15.71 inches above norm
#9. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 114.03 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 112.41 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.66 inches below norm
#8. Wrangell City and Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 136.34 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 130.33 inches (#25 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -10.49 inches below norm
#7. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 143.04 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 147.84 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 12.51 inches above norm
#6. Chugach Census Area
- Five-year precipitation average: 151.23 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 176.42 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 14.21 inches above norm
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#5. Sitka City and Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 157.63 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 161.01 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.75 inches above norm
#4. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 160.49 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 165.46 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 11.15 inches above norm
#3. Petersburg Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 175.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 167.42 inches (#27 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.73 inches below norm
#2. Juneau City and Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 177.69 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 189.74 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 23.24 inches above norm
#1. Yakutat City and Borough
- Five-year precipitation average: 189.75 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 218.04 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 15.62 inches above norm
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