Wettest counties in America
Rain, sleet, snow, hail, wintery mix. Precipitation takes on many forms and the degree to which climate change affects precipitation levels comes down to something most 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 the frequency and intensity of precipitation 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.
In recent memory, one need look no further than the winter storm that pummeled Texas in February 2021 for an example of a heavy precipitous event—and one that occurred in an area historically relatively immune to such events during that season. Some Texans described the storm as seeming like "the end of the world." Freezing rain coupled with record levels of snow and low temperatures made roads all but impassable, and the state's power grid, ill-prepared for such weather extremes, collapsed, leaving millions without heat or electricity. Increasingly, such is the fate of areas lacking the infrastructure to withstand the growing prevalence of extreme weather events.
The continental U.S. received an average of 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 regions such as Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as pockets of the South and 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 50 counties in the U.S. 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. Winston County, Alabama
- Five-year precipitation average: 71.4 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 63.2 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.6 inches above norm
#49. Pearl River County, Mississippi
- Five-year precipitation average: 71.5 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 71.5 inches (#102 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 9.5 inches above norm
#48. Murray County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 71.6 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 56.2 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.1 inches below norm
#47. Curry County, Oregon
- Five-year precipitation average: 71.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.6 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.5 inches below norm
#46. Perry County, Mississippi
- Five-year precipitation average: 71.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 72.3 inches (#108 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 11.2 inches above norm
#45. Marion County, Alabama
- Five-year precipitation average: 71.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 61.0 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.2 inches above norm
#44. Cowlitz County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 72.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.5 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.1 inches below norm
#43. Gilmer County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 72.4 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 56.7 inches (#39 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.9 inches below norm
#42. Swain County, North Carolina
- Five-year precipitation average: 72.6 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 59.7 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.8 inches below norm
#41. Graham County, North Carolina
- Five-year precipitation average: 72.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 58.8 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.8 inches below norm
#40. King County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 72.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 65.8 inches (#32 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -7.1 inches below norm
#39. Wayne County, Mississippi
- Five-year precipitation average: 72.9 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 71.9 inches (#110 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 12.7 inches above norm
#38. Clay County, North Carolina
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 58.9 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.5 inches below norm
#37. Washington Parish, Louisiana
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.4 inches (#107 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 12.0 inches above norm
#36. Marion County, Tennessee
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 60.9 inches (#85 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.2 inches above norm
#35. Habersham County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 58.7 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.0 inches below norm
#34. Fannin County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 58.1 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.0 inches below norm
#33. Franklin County, Tennessee
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 60.9 inches (#91 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.4 inches above norm
#32. Grundy County, Tennessee
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 61.8 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.0 inches above norm
#31. Livingston Parish, Louisiana
- Five-year precipitation average: 73.9 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.2 inches (#111 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 12.2 inches above norm
#30. Jackson County, North Carolina
- Five-year precipitation average: 75.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 61.8 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.1 inches below norm
#29. Lumpkin County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 75.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 61.7 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.1 inches below norm
#28. Union County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 75.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 60.0 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.9 inches below norm
#27. Macon County, North Carolina
- Five-year precipitation average: 75.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 61.9 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.7 inches below norm
#26. Towns County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 75.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 60.7 inches (#50 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.3 inches below norm
#25. Skagit County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 77.3 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 70.6 inches (#38 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.9 inches below norm
#24. White County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 77.5 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 62.9 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.2 inches below norm
#23. Skagway Municipality, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 77.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 85.5 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 9.0 inches above norm
#22. Clatsop County, Oregon
- Five-year precipitation average: 79.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 78.2 inches (#31 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.0 inches below norm
#21. Rabun County, Georgia
- Five-year precipitation average: 79.5 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 65.7 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.7 inches below norm
#20. Pacific County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 80.6 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 78.1 inches (#26 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.8 inches below norm
#19. Snohomish County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 82.1 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 74.6 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.6 inches below norm
#18. Lincoln County, Oregon
- Five-year precipitation average: 82.1 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 88.9 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.0 inches below norm
#17. Transylvania County, North Carolina
- Five-year precipitation average: 82.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 68.7 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.3 inches below norm
#16. Skamania County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 83.6 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 88.6 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.2 inches below norm
#15. Mason County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 87.5 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 82.7 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.6 inches below norm
#14. Clallam County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 87.5 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 77.8 inches (#33 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -10.4 inches below norm
#13. Grays Harbor County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 90.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 86.7 inches (#36 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -8.7 inches below norm
#12. Tillamook County, Oregon
- Five-year precipitation average: 92.3 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 95.5 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.7 inches below norm
#11. Haines Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 92.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 102.0 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 15.7 inches above norm
#10. Jefferson County, Washington
- Five-year precipitation average: 105.9 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 102.0 inches (#42 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.7 inches below norm
#9. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 114.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 112.4 inches (#37 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.7 inches below norm
#8. Wrangell City and Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 136.3 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 130.3 inches (#25 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -10.5 inches below norm
#7. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 143.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 147.8 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 12.5 inches above norm
#6. Chugach Census Area, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 151.2 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 176.4 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 14.2 inches above norm
#5. Sitka City and Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 157.6 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 161.0 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.7 inches above norm
#4. Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 160.5 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 165.5 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 11.1 inches above norm
#3. Petersburg Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 175.0 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 167.4 inches (#27 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -11.7 inches below norm
#2. Juneau City and Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 177.7 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 189.7 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 23.2 inches above norm
#1. Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska
- Five-year precipitation average: 189.8 inches
- Precipitation over the past year: 218.0 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 15.6 inches above norm
