During the past winter, parts of California experienced massive amounts of rain and snow. Though it momentarily eased the frequent drought periods that had been affecting the state, the surge in rainfall flooded roads, knocked out power, and broke levees. Fueled by multiple converging atmospheric rivers, the state's infrastructure was not able to capture all of the excess water, meaning water shortages could again return during future dry spells.
Climate change can both intensify rainfall and also extend droughts. Warmer temperatures increase rates of evaporation, pulling more water from the ocean and causing more precipitation overall. Data indicates single-day precipitation extremes are happening more frequently. Conversely, more evaporation also dries out surface water and soil, leaving less fresh water available. Even as the moist air from oceans and other sources returns to land as rain, sleet, or snow, inconsistent wind patterns and currents mean it isn't distributed evenly. That's why even as some counties experienced their wettest year on record, others experienced their driest.
Nationwide, 43% of counties reported precipitation over the past year greater than their long-term average. A 1,000-year event dumped 25 inches of rainfall over 24 hours in Fort Lauderdale on April 13. Nevada desert regions experienced thunderstorms and heavy rain in June. Severe weather through the mid-Atlantic in August brought tennis ball-sized hail to West Virginia and softball-sized hail and flash flooding in Maryland.
Using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, Stacker identified counties in Pennsylvania that received the most precipitation from September 2022 to August 2023 compared to their average annual precipitation from 1901 to 2000. In the case of a tie, the amount of precipitation over the past year served as a tiebreaker.
Read on to see which counties reported more precipitation over the past year than usual.
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#50. Bucks County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.1 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.6 inches above average (#59 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.7 inches above statewide average
#49. Washington County
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.0 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.7 inches above average (#61 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 4.5 inches below statewide average
#48. Greene County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.7 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.7 inches above average (#60 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.7 inches below statewide average
#47. Montgomery County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.7 inches above average (#57 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.1 inches above statewide average
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5 / 50#46. Schuylkill County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.8 inches above average (#66 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.8 inches above statewide average
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6 / 50#45. Butler County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.8 inches above average (#53 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.9 inches below statewide average
#44. Warren County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.9 inches above average (#63 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.0 inches above statewide average
#43. Clarion County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.1 inches above average (#58 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.3 inches below statewide average
#42. Philadelphia County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.4 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.2 inches above average (#57 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.9 inches above statewide average
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10 / 50#41. Armstrong County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.3 inches above average (#52 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.9 inches below statewide average
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#40. Cambria County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.9 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.4 inches above average (#51 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.4 inches above statewide average
#39. Mercer County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.5 inches above average (#56 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.2 inches below statewide average
#38. Forest County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.5 inches above average (#62 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.8 inches above statewide average
#37. Fayette County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.6 inches above average (#56 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.8 inches above statewide average
#36. Huntingdon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.0 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.7 inches above average (#48 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.5 inches below statewide average
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#35. Somerset County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.7 inches above average (#54 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.7 inches above statewide average
#34. Elk County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.8 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.8 inches above average (#47 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.3 inches above statewide average
#33. Blair County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.4 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.8 inches above average (#52 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.0 inches below statewide average
#32. Venango County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.4 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.3 inches above average (#52 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.0 inches below statewide average
#31. Potter County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.7 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.6 inches above average (#43 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.7 inches below statewide average
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21 / 50#30. Indiana County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.6 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.6 inches above average (#42 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.1 inches above statewide average
#29. Crawford County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.7 inches above average (#43 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.0 inches above statewide average
#28. Lehigh County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.8 inches above average (#44 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.7 inches above statewide average
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24 / 50#27. Lawrence County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.6 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.8 inches above average (#41 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.9 inches below statewide average
#26. Centre County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.9 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.0 inches above average (#35 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.6 inches below statewide average
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#25. Tioga County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.1 inches above average (#41 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 4.9 inches below statewide average
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27 / 50#24. Juniata County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.9 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.3 inches above average (#34 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.5 inches above statewide average
#23. Westmoreland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.0 inches above average (#36 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.9 inches above statewide average
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29 / 50#22. Mifflin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.9 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.1 inches above average (#28 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.5 inches above statewide average
Orlowski Designs LLC // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Beaver County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.2 inches above average (#32 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 2.2 inches below statewide average
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#20. Clinton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.6 inches above average (#26 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 0.7 inches above statewide average
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32 / 50#19. Cameron County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.1 inches above average (#24 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.9 inches above statewide average
#18. Carbon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.7 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.2 inches above average (#31 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 9.2 inches above statewide average
#17. Bradford County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.6 inches above average (#30 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 1.9 inches below statewide average
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35 / 50#16. Snyder County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.2 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.7 inches above average (#21 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.7 inches above statewide average
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#15. Northampton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.7 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.9 inches above average (#28 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 7.2 inches above statewide average
#14. Columbia County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.6 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.1 inches above average (#21 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 4.1 inches above statewide average
#13. Luzerne County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.0 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.1 inches above average (#25 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 4.6 inches above statewide average
#12. Erie County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.5 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.6 inches above average (#18 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 5.1 inches above statewide average
#11. Union County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.1 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.7 inches above average (#18 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.6 inches above statewide average
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#10. Northumberland County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.9 inches above average (#19 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.8 inches above statewide average
George Sheldon // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Lycoming County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.9 inches above average (#21 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 3.9 inches above statewide average
#8. Monroe County
- Precipitation over the past year: 54.9 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 7.0 inches above average (#25 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 10.5 inches above statewide average
#7. Pike County
- Precipitation over the past year: 52.0 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 7.8 inches above average (#21 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 7.6 inches above statewide average
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45 / 50#6. Montour County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.7 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 8.6 inches above average (#15 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 5.3 inches above statewide average
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#5. Lackawanna County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.0 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 8.9 inches above average (#17 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 6.6 inches above statewide average
#4. Wyoming County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.7 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 9.1 inches above average (#14 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 5.2 inches above statewide average
#3. Sullivan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.4 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 9.5 inches above average (#12 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 9.0 inches above statewide average
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49 / 50#2. Wayne County
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.3 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 10.7 inches above average (#10 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 8.9 inches above statewide average
#1. Susquehanna County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.9 inches
- Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 11.1 inches above average (#10 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
- Comparison to state's precipitation over past year: 7.4 inches above statewide average
This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 44 states.
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