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 Utah 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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#29. Wayne County
- Five-year precipitation average: 8.24 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 8.68 inches (#49 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.54 inches below norm
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2 / 29#28. Emery County
- Five-year precipitation average: 8.35 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 9.58 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.19 inches above norm
#27. San Juan County
- Five-year precipitation average: 9.22 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.06 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.39 inches above norm
#26. Millard County
- Five-year precipitation average: 9.42 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 10.36 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.52 inches above norm
#25. Tooele County
- Five-year precipitation average: 9.69 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 10.97 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.75 inches above norm
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6 / 29#24. Juab County
- Five-year precipitation average: 10.90 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.70 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.01 inches above norm
#23. Grand County
- Five-year precipitation average: 11.05 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.54 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.66 inches above norm
#22. Box Elder County
- Five-year precipitation average: 11.10 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.48 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.46 inches above norm
#21. Uintah County
- Five-year precipitation average: 11.19 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.27 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.10 inches above norm
#20. Kane County
- Five-year precipitation average: 11.40 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.40 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.24 inches above norm
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#19. Garfield County
- Five-year precipitation average: 11.81 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.93 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.10 inches below norm
#18. Beaver County
- Five-year precipitation average: 12.25 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.72 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.16 inches above norm
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13 / 29#17. Carbon County
- Five-year precipitation average: 13.63 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 15.04 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.33 inches above norm
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14 / 29#16. Iron County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.37 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.91 inches (#104 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.36 inches above norm
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15 / 29Chris Curtis // Shutterstock
16 / 29#14. Sevier County
- Five-year precipitation average: 14.94 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.23 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.05 inches below norm
#13. Rich County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.53 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.33 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.62 inches above norm
#12. Washington County
- Five-year precipitation average: 15.72 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.17 inches (#106 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.04 inches above norm
#11. Piute County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.38 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 16.58 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.38 inches below norm
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20 / 29#10. Duchesne County
- Five-year precipitation average: 16.39 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 18.37 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.62 inches above norm
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#9. Sanpete County
- Five-year precipitation average: 17.53 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.04 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.54 inches above norm
#8. Utah County
- Five-year precipitation average: 18.27 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 21.64 inches (#101 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.60 inches above norm
#7. Salt Lake County
- Five-year precipitation average: 20.81 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.41 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.33 inches above norm
#6. Wasatch County
- Five-year precipitation average: 23.59 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 27.91 inches (#99 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.85 inches above norm
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25 / 29#5. Davis County
- Five-year precipitation average: 23.82 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 27.92 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.60 inches above norm
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#4. Morgan County
- Five-year precipitation average: 24.20 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 28.67 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.66 inches above norm
#3. Weber County
- Five-year precipitation average: 24.50 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.85 inches (#95 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.00 inches above norm
#2. Summit County
- Five-year precipitation average: 25.04 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 28.40 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.52 inches above norm
#1. Cache County
- Five-year precipitation average: 26.30 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.55 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.61 inches above norm
