Wettest counties in West Virginia
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 West Virginia 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. Berkeley County
- Precipitation over the past year: 37.88 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.19 inches above norm
#49. Jefferson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 39.36 inches (#75 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.77 inches above norm
#48. Brooke County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.66 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.22 inches above norm
#47. Putnam County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.29 inches (#58 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.18 inches above norm
#46. Pendleton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 41.90 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.66 inches above norm
#45. Marion County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.95 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.19 inches above norm
#44. Ohio County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.91 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.22 inches above norm
#43. Monongalia County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.01 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.43 inches above norm
#42. Hancock County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.97 inches (#110 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.79 inches above norm
#41. Mason County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.11 inches (#57 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.64 inches above norm
#40. Mercer County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.82 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.56 inches above norm
#39. Wood County
- Precipitation over the past year: 43.10 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.65 inches above norm
#38. Jackson County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.70 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.14 inches above norm
#37. Summers County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.14 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.75 inches above norm
#36. Cabell County
- Precipitation over the past year: 42.16 inches (#56 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.37 inches below norm
#35. Taylor County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.19 inches (#80 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.29 inches above norm
#34. Monroe County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.50 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.96 inches above norm
#33. Wirt County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.53 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.17 inches above norm
#32. Roane County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.73 inches (#99 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.73 inches above norm
#31. Calhoun County
- Precipitation over the past year: 46.15 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.21 inches above norm
#30. Harrison County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.14 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.70 inches above norm
#29. Gilmer County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.05 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.79 inches below norm
#28. Pleasants County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.05 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.08 inches above norm
#27. Ritchie County
- Precipitation over the past year: 45.03 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.65 inches above norm
#26. Lincoln County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.82 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.77 inches above norm
#25. Kanawha County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.86 inches (#99 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.96 inches above norm
#24. McDowell County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.59 inches (#102 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.06 inches above norm
#23. Lewis County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.67 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.57 inches above norm
#22. Raleigh County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.84 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.51 inches above norm
#21. Marshall County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.63 inches (#106 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.85 inches above norm
#20. Wayne County
- Precipitation over the past year: 44.18 inches (#60 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.38 inches above norm
#19. Clay County
- Precipitation over the past year: 52.11 inches (#110 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.89 inches above norm
#18. Doddridge County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.55 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.20 inches above norm
#17. Tyler County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.20 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.28 inches above norm
#16. Boone County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.91 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.98 inches above norm
#15. Greenbrier County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.50 inches (#111 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.07 inches above norm
#14. Braxton County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.20 inches (#71 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.54 inches above norm
#13. Wetzel County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.24 inches (#101 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.41 inches above norm
#12. Wyoming County
- Precipitation over the past year: 49.20 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.55 inches above norm
#11. Fayette County
- Precipitation over the past year: 53.90 inches (#115 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.19 inches above norm
#10. Barbour County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.40 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.81 inches above norm
#9. Logan County
- Precipitation over the past year: 47.27 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.02 inches above norm
#8. Preston County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.36 inches (#53 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.81 inches below norm
#7. Pocahontas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.17 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.21 inches above norm
#6. Mingo County
- Precipitation over the past year: 48.11 inches (#78 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.70 inches above norm
#5. Upshur County
- Precipitation over the past year: 51.20 inches (#55 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.11 inches below norm
#4. Nicholas County
- Precipitation over the past year: 58.62 inches (#117 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 9.54 inches above norm
#3. Tucker County
- Precipitation over the past year: 50.56 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.03 inches above norm
#2. Randolph County
- Precipitation over the past year: 56.13 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.52 inches above norm
#1. Webster County
- Precipitation over the past year: 57.19 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
- Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.56 inches above norm