Wettest counties in Texas
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.
#50. Hunt County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.32 inches (#14 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -12.17 inches below norm
#48. Henderson County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.61 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.75 inches below norm
#46. Leon County
- Precipitation over the past year: 38.70 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.98 inches below norm
#45. Anderson County
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.91 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.36 inches above norm
#40. Walker County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.54 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.38 inches below norm
#39. Wood County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.72 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.62 inches below norm
#37. Houston County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.33 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.84 inches below norm
#36. Camp County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.81 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.48 inches above norm
#35. Gregg County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.59 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.46 inches below norm
#34. Franklin County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.73 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.77 inches above norm
#32. Trinity County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.20 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.59 inches below norm
#31. Upshur County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.15 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.79 inches above norm
#30. Cherokee County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.83 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.36 inches above norm
#29. Delta County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.92 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.28 inches above norm
#27. Brazoria County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.63 inches (#31 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -7.05 inches below norm
#25. Montgomery County
- 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
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.42 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.15 inches below norm
#22. Angelina County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.74 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.65 inches above norm
#20. San Jacinto County
- 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
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.93 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.53 inches below norm
#17. Bowie County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.82 inches (#83 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.91 inches above norm
#15. Panola County
- 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
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.77 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.06 inches below norm
#12. Cass County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.44 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.36 inches above norm
#10. San Augustine County
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.97 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.32 inches below norm
#6. Sabine County
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.61 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.55 inches above norm
#5. Jasper County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.51 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.06 inches below norm
#3. Hardin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 54.34 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.75 inches above norm
#2. Jefferson County
- 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
- Precipitation over the past year: 56.05 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.94 inches above norm