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 Texas 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.
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1 / 50#50. Hunt County
- Five-year precipitation average: 44.64 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 40.17 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.33 inches below norm
#49. Matagorda County
- Five-year precipitation average: 44.96 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.32 inches (#14 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -12.17 inches below norm
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3 / 50#48. Henderson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 45.08 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.29 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.63 inches below norm
#47. Madison County
- Five-year precipitation average: 45.68 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.61 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.75 inches below norm
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5 / 50#45. Anderson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 45.94 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.16 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.37 inches below norm
#44. Rains County
- Five-year precipitation average: 46.35 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.60 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.57 inches above norm
#43. Fort Bend County
- Five-year precipitation average: 46.71 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 34.58 inches (#21 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -9.77 inches below norm
#42. Fannin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 47.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.85 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.77 inches above norm
#41. Hopkins County
- Five-year precipitation average: 48.08 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.91 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.36 inches above norm
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#40. Walker County
- Five-year precipitation average: 48.23 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.54 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.38 inches below norm
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12 / 50#39. Wood County
- Five-year precipitation average: 48.30 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.86 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.54 inches above norm
#38. Smith County
- Five-year precipitation average: 48.70 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.72 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.62 inches below norm
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14 / 50#37. Houston County
- Five-year precipitation average: 48.93 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.33 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.84 inches below norm
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15 / 50#36. Camp County
- Five-year precipitation average: 48.96 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.81 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.48 inches above norm
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16 / 50#35. Gregg County
- Five-year precipitation average: 49.31 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.59 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.46 inches below norm
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17 / 50#34. Franklin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 49.32 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.06 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.26 inches above norm
#33. Titus County
- Five-year precipitation average: 49.76 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.73 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.77 inches above norm
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19 / 50#32. Trinity County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.19 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.20 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.59 inches below norm
#30. Cherokee County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.21 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.83 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.36 inches above norm
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22 / 50#29. Delta County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.29 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.25 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.34 inches above norm
#28. Rusk County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.56 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.92 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.28 inches above norm
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24 / 50#27. Brazoria County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.57 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 35.50 inches (#21 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -10.12 inches below norm
#26. Harris County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.63 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.63 inches (#31 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -7.05 inches below norm
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#25. Montgomery County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.77 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.28 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.79 inches below norm
#24. Morris County
- Five-year precipitation average: 50.83 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.70 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.02 inches below norm
#23. Nacogdoches County
- Five-year precipitation average: 51.39 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.42 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.15 inches below norm
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29 / 50#22. Angelina County
- Five-year precipitation average: 52.01 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.38 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.24 inches below norm
#21. Lamar County
- Five-year precipitation average: 52.64 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.74 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.65 inches above norm
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31 / 50#20. San Jacinto County
- Five-year precipitation average: 53.22 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.25 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.63 inches below norm
#19. Harrison County
- Five-year precipitation average: 53.50 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.93 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.89 inches above norm
#18. Galveston County
- Five-year precipitation average: 53.84 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.93 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.53 inches below norm
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34 / 50#17. Bowie County
- Five-year precipitation average: 54.27 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.82 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.26 inches above norm
#16. Marion County
- Five-year precipitation average: 54.30 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.82 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.91 inches above norm
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#15. Panola County
- Five-year precipitation average: 54.57 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.64 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.07 inches above norm
#14. Red River County
- Five-year precipitation average: 54.72 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.84 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.75 inches above norm
#13. Polk County
- Five-year precipitation average: 54.84 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.77 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.06 inches below norm
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39 / 50#12. Cass County
- Five-year precipitation average: 54.87 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.58 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.36 inches above norm
#11. Shelby County
- Five-year precipitation average: 57.26 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.44 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.36 inches above norm
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41 / 50#10. San Augustine County
- Five-year precipitation average: 57.44 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.97 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.68 inches below norm
#9. Liberty County
- Five-year precipitation average: 57.80 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.80 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.05 inches below norm
#8. Chambers County
- Five-year precipitation average: 58.92 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.36 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.61 inches below norm
#7. Tyler County
- Five-year precipitation average: 59.62 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.97 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.32 inches below norm
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46 / 50#5. Jasper County
- Five-year precipitation average: 60.67 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.24 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.01 inches below norm
#4. Newton County
- Five-year precipitation average: 61.39 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.51 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.06 inches below norm
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48 / 50#3. Hardin County
- Five-year precipitation average: 63.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 54.34 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.75 inches above norm
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49 / 50#2. Jefferson County
- Five-year precipitation average: 64.12 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 55.61 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.01 inches above norm
#1. Orange County
- Five-year precipitation average: 64.62 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 56.05 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.94 inches above norm
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