Rain or shine, the United States keeps close tabs on its weather. NOAA’s weather stations have been measuring precipitation across the country for decades, and every ten years the agency rolls those readings up into official 30-year averages.
So we pulled the newest set — NOAA’s 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals — and used Saturday Night Science to figure out which states get soaked the most, and which barely need an umbrella.
Hawaii aside, the pattern is simple: the farther south and east you go, the wetter it gets. The Southwest is the driest corner of the country by a mile.
The rainiest state in America is Louisiana, which gets 60.97 inches of rain a year. The driest? Nevada, with just 13.06 inches.
On the map
The rainiest states in America, mapped
Source: HomeSnacks
Louisiana takes the crown with just shy of 61 inches of rain a year. It’s not that it rains every day — Louisiana ranks just 33rd for rainy days — it’s that when a Gulf storm rolls in, it dumps. Bring rubber boots and a sense of humor about your gutters.
Mississippi finishes less than an inch behind its neighbor at 60.29 inches a year. The whole Gulf Coast gets soaked by warm, wet air coming off the water, and Mississippi sits right in the path.
Alabama rounds out a Gulf Coast sweep of the top three with 58.64 inches a year. Mobile, on the coast, is one of the wettest cities in the lower 48, and it pulls the whole state’s average up.
Hawaii is the one state in the top ten that isn’t in the South. It averages 56.95 inches, but the real story is frequency — measurable rain falls on about 157 days a year, the most of any state. The windward sides of the islands are some of the wettest places on Earth, while the leeward beaches stay sunny.
Tennessee gets 56.21 inches of rain a year, spread over about 124 days. That’s a lot of gray afternoons in Nashville and Memphis, and it’s a big reason the state is so green.
The Sunshine State gets a lot of rain, too: 56.02 inches a year. Most of it comes in short, violent summer thunderstorms that roll through in the afternoon and are gone by dinner.
Georgia averages 52.65 inches of rain a year. The mountains in the north and the coast in the south both pull in plenty of moisture, with Atlanta somewhere in the middle.
Arkansas gets 52.63 inches a year — practically tied with Georgia. It gets that rain on fewer days than most of the South, though, at about 95 a year.
North Carolina averages 52.13 inches a year. Between Atlantic hurricanes on the coast and the mountains out west wringing moisture out of the clouds, the state gets hit from both sides.
Kentucky rounds out the top ten at 50.74 inches a year, with measurable precipitation on about 122 days. It’s the northernmost state on the list — a sign that the wet South reaches farther up the map than you’d think.
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Rainiest States In The US
We used Saturday Night Science to analyze precipitation data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The data comes from the 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA’s official 30-year averages for thousands of individual weather stations across the country.
For every state, we averaged these two numbers across all of the state’s reporting stations:
- Average annual precipitation (inches)
- Average number of days a year with measurable precipitation (0.01 inches or more)
We ranked each state from the most to the least average annual precipitation. That covers rain and the water content of snow, which is how NOAA measures it. The number of rainy days is shown for context but doesn’t affect the ranking.
We didn’t weight stations by population or area, so consider these rough estimates. If the mountains get 100 inches of rain and the desert gets 10, how much did the state get? Somewhere in between.
We updated this report for 2026. The state with the most rain is Louisiana, and the state with the least is Nevada.
The full list
Table: Average Annual Rain By State In The United States
Click any column to sort. Search by state name.
| Rank | State | Average Rain (Inches) | Days With Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 60.97 | 101.8 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 60.29 | 103.3 |
| 3 | Alabama | 58.64 | 109.1 |
| 4 | Hawaii | 56.95 | 157.2 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 56.21 | 124.3 |
| 6 | Florida | 56.02 | 118.7 |
| 7 | Georgia | 52.65 | 107.1 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 52.63 | 95.3 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 52.13 | 120.0 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 50.74 | 122.3 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 50.33 | 109.5 |
| 12 | Connecticut | 50.02 | 127.5 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 49.57 | 130.9 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 48.99 | 124.7 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 48.98 | 133.1 |
| 16 | Washington | 47.52 | 141.7 |
| 17 | Delaware | 47.40 | 120.7 |
| 18 | West Virginia | 47.32 | 150.3 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 47.29 | 143.6 |
| 20 | Maine | 47.10 | 139.4 |
| 21 | Maryland | 46.90 | 127.4 |
| 22 | Virginia | 46.45 | 120.4 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 45.77 | 143.2 |
| 24 | Vermont | 44.90 | 157.0 |
| 25 | Alaska | 44.19 | 137.0 |
| 26 | Missouri | 44.10 | 97.5 |
| 27 | Indiana | 43.94 | 123.2 |
| 28 | New York | 43.87 | 151.3 |
| 29 | Oregon | 43.53 | 129.7 |
| 30 | Ohio | 41.39 | 134.4 |
| 31 | Illinois | 40.69 | 110.4 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 36.58 | 72.5 |
| 33 | Iowa | 36.31 | 100.6 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | 34.78 | 118.5 |
| 35 | Michigan | 34.71 | 142.6 |
| 36 | Texas | 33.84 | 68.3 |
| 37 | Kansas | 31.16 | 74.9 |
| 38 | Minnesota | 30.63 | 103.7 |
| 39 | Nebraska | 25.74 | 81.1 |
| 40 | Idaho | 25.11 | 108.2 |
| 41 | California | 24.15 | 58.6 |
| 42 | South Dakota | 22.43 | 82.4 |
| 43 | Montana | 20.47 | 101.4 |
| 44 | Utah | 20.23 | 82.9 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 19.37 | 81.4 |
| 46 | Wyoming | 19.11 | 97.5 |
| 47 | Colorado | 18.96 | 94.8 |
| 48 | New Mexico | 14.18 | 61.5 |
| 49 | Arizona | 13.08 | 50.8 |
| 50 | Nevada | 13.06 | 58.4 |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals (annual station normals, averaged by state).
Summary
Conclusion: Average Rainfall By State
According to NOAA’s newest normals, Louisiana gets the most rain in America at 60.97 inches a year. On the other end, Nevada is the driest state, with just 13.06 inches.
Hawaii gets rain on the most days, averaging 157.2 days a year with measurable precipitation, followed by Vermont, New York, and West Virginia. Arizona has the fewest at 50.8. Meanwhile, Louisiana ranks just 33rd for rainy days — when it rains on the Gulf Coast, it pours.
The rainiest states in the United States are Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky.
Questions and answers
Rainiest States FAQs
What is the rainiest state in America?
Louisiana is the rainiest state in America, averaging 60.97 inches of precipitation a year according to NOAA’s 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Mississippi and Alabama are next.
What are the 10 rainiest states?
The ten rainiest states in the United States are Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky.
What is the driest state in America?
Nevada is the driest state, averaging just 13.06 inches of precipitation a year.
Which state has the most rainy days?
Hawaii averages 157.2 days a year with at least 0.01 inches of precipitation, the most of any state. Arizona has the fewest at 50.8 days.
Where does the rain data come from?
NOAA’s 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, the official 30-year averages for thousands of weather stations. We averaged every station in each state.
