Wettest counties in Washington
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 Washington 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.
#39. Grant County
- Precipitation over the past year: 8.17 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.11 inches below norm
#38. Benton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 10.17 inches (#110 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.03 inches above norm
#37. Franklin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 10.74 inches (#99 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.64 inches above norm
#36. Adams County
- Precipitation over the past year: 11.91 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.08 inches above norm
#35. Douglas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 12.87 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.44 inches above norm
#34. Lincoln County
- Precipitation over the past year: 13.28 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.29 inches above norm
#33. Walla Walla County
- Precipitation over the past year: 17.53 inches (#109 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.82 inches above norm
#32. Whitman County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.76 inches (#113 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.43 inches above norm
#31. Asotin County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.94 inches (#115 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.68 inches above norm
#30. Spokane County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.84 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.77 inches above norm
#29. Ferry County
- Precipitation over the past year: 20.09 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.11 inches above norm
#28. Klickitat County
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.08 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.46 inches below norm
#27. Garfield County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.26 inches (#120 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.74 inches above norm
#26. Stevens County
- Precipitation over the past year: 22.23 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.44 inches below norm
#25. Okanogan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 23.06 inches (#69 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.35 inches above norm
#24. Yakima County
- Precipitation over the past year: 25.29 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.86 inches below norm
#23. Columbia County
- Precipitation over the past year: 31.07 inches (#104 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.28 inches above norm
#22. Island County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.53 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.53 inches below norm
#21. San Juan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 24.49 inches (#21 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.93 inches below norm
#20. Kittitas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 29.71 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.47 inches below norm
#19. Pend Oreille County
- Precipitation over the past year: 30.78 inches (#39 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.22 inches below norm
#18. Chelan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 33.84 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.40 inches below norm
#17. Kitsap County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.50 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.70 inches below norm
#16. Thurston County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.12 inches (#32 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.55 inches below norm
#15. Clark County
- Precipitation over the past year: 65.51 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.36 inches below norm
#14. Pierce County
- Precipitation over the past year: 58.15 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.52 inches below norm
#13. Lewis County
- Precipitation over the past year: 69.00 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.16 inches below norm
#12. Wahkiakum County
- Precipitation over the past year: 66.65 inches (#17 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -16.54 inches below norm
#11. Whatcom County
- Precipitation over the past year: 62.95 inches (#35 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.40 inches below norm
#10. Cowlitz County
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.54 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.12 inches below norm
#9. King County
- Precipitation over the past year: 65.84 inches (#32 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -7.11 inches below norm
#8. Skagit County
- Precipitation over the past year: 70.56 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.91 inches below norm
#7. Pacific County
- Precipitation over the past year: 78.12 inches (#26 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.82 inches below norm
#6. Snohomish County
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.63 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.56 inches below norm
#5. Skamania County
- Precipitation over the past year: 88.64 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.22 inches below norm
#4. Mason County
- Precipitation over the past year: 82.68 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.65 inches below norm
#3. Clallam County
- Precipitation over the past year: 77.75 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -10.44 inches below norm
#2. Grays Harbor County
- Precipitation over the past year: 86.71 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -8.72 inches below norm
#1. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 102.03 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.68 inches below norm