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 Montana 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. Chouteau County
- Five-year precipitation average: 12.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.08 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.72 inches below norm
#49. McCone County
- Five-year precipitation average: 12.58 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.82 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.97 inches below norm
#48. Blaine County
- Five-year precipitation average: 12.71 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.14 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.53 inches above norm
#47. Daniels County
- Five-year precipitation average: 12.79 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.82 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.43 inches below norm
#46. Richland County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.13 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.05 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.39 inches above norm
#45. Prairie County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.42 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.65 inches above norm
#44. Garfield County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.95 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.24 inches above norm
#43. Sheridan County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.60 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.43 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.37 inches below norm
#42. Petroleum County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.00 inches (#91 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.94 inches above norm
#41. Custer County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.79 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.19 inches above norm
#40. Dawson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.09 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.87 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.62 inches above norm
#39. Broadwater County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.52 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.39 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.32 inches above norm
Logan Bush // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Rosebud County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.75 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.82 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.19 inches above norm
George Sc // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Fallon County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.96 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.96 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.86 inches above norm
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Pondera County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.07 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.35 inches (#26 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.33 inches below norm
#35. Powder River County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.07 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.58 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.99 inches above norm
#34. Yellowstone County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.16 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.66 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.14 inches above norm
Benjamin Clapp // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Treasure County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.21 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.03 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.51 inches above norm
#32. Wibaux County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.27 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.47 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.15 inches above norm
#31. Musselshell County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.31 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.22 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.63 inches above norm
#30. Golden Valley County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.66 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.92 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.83 inches above norm
#29. Cascade County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.67 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.73 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.50 inches below norm
#28. Big Horn County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.86 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.53 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.00 inches above norm
#27. Wheatland County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.87 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.50 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.49 inches below norm
Teresa Otto // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Carter County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.95 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.36 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.06 inches above norm
#25. Fergus County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.03 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.78 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.44 inches above norm
davidrh // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Jefferson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.72 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.78 inches below norm
Ian William Hromada // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Teton County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.60 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 14.74 inches (#28 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.17 inches below norm
Christopher Boswell // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Silver Bow County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.77 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.05 inches (#24 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.67 inches below norm
#21. Carbon County
- Five-year precipitation average: 17.44 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.98 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.42 inches above norm
#20. Judith Basin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 17.82 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.38 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.41 inches below norm
#19. Beaverhead County
- Five-year precipitation average: 18.33 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.53 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.81 inches below norm
davidrh // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Stillwater County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.16 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.59 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.69 inches above norm
#17. Sweet Grass County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.31 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.78 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.02 inches above norm
#16. Meagher County
- Five-year precipitation average: 19.33 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.42 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.55 inches below norm
#15. Deer Lodge County
- Five-year precipitation average: 21.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 19.75 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.08 inches below norm
Dirk Wierenga // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Glacier County
- Five-year precipitation average: 21.64 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.96 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.54 inches below norm
#13. Lewis and Clark County
- Five-year precipitation average: 22.02 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.49 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.50 inches below norm
#12. Madison County
- Five-year precipitation average: 22.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.80 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.70 inches above norm
#11. Granite County
- Five-year precipitation average: 22.36 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.30 inches (#27 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.28 inches below norm
#10. Gallatin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 23.41 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.30 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.02 inches above norm
#9. Lake County
- Five-year precipitation average: 24.20 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.84 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.81 inches above norm
#8. Park County
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.60 inches (#107 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.37 inches above norm
#7. Powell County
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.02 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.74 inches below norm
TylorOlsen // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Ravalli County
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.87 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.53 inches (#29 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.04 inches below norm
melissamn // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Lincoln County
- Five-year precipitation average: 29.05 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.01 inches (#40 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.46 inches below norm
#4. Missoula County
- Five-year precipitation average: 29.22 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 27.27 inches (#44 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.62 inches below norm
Drew Halverson // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Sanders County
- Five-year precipitation average: 29.44 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.44 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.49 inches below norm
#2. Flathead County
- Five-year precipitation average: 33.34 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.76 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.48 inches below norm
Danita Delimont // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Mineral County
- Five-year precipitation average: 35.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.23 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.14 inches below norm
