Rainiest States In The United States For 2023


The rainiest states in the US are Louisiana and Mississippi based on Saturday Night Science.

Rainiest states in the United States research summary. The data team at HomeSnacks used Saturday Night Science to analyze NOAA data by state from the NCEI.

The NOAA tracks weather and precipitation across the United States from specific measuring stations. We aggregated their data across weather stations to produce an estimated amount of precipitation for each state. These are the key takeaways:

  • The state with the most rain in the United States is Louisiana with 59.92 inches of rain annually.

  • The state with the least rain in the United States is Nevada with 9.71 inches of rain annually.

  • The state with the most number of days of rain in the United States is West Virginia with 92.36 days of rain annually.

  • The state with the least number of days of rain in the United States is Nevada with 24.55 days of rain annually.

Average Annual Rain By State In Inches

Click to enlarge

Map: States With The Most Rain The United States

Rainiest States In The US

Click to enlarge

Rain or shine, the United States collects percipitation data from meterolgical stations across the county. We rolled up their sleeves and aggregated this weather data to produce a comprehensive analysis of each state’s annual precipitation.

There’s a very clear pattern in the data that the further west and south you go in the United States, the less rain you should expect.

In this meteorological deep dive, we’re donning our raincoats and wielding umbrellas to explore which states are the rainiest. From the soggy bayous of Louisiana to the arid deserts of Nevada, we’ve got it all covered.

The 10 States With The Most Rain

Here is a breakdown of the ten states with the most amount of rain in the United States. Louisiana has the most amount of rain with 59.92 inches of rain each year. Other states with a lot rainfall annually include Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

  1. Louisiana – 59.92 inches
  2. Mississippi – 57.34 inches
  3. Alabama – 56.15 inches
  4. Hawaii – 56.05 inches
  5. Florida – 54.39 inches
  6. Tennessee – 52.42 inches
  7. Arkansas – 50.33 inches
  8. Georgia – 49.63 inches
  9. Connecticut – 49.01 inches
  10. Rhode Island – 48.80 inches

The 10 States With The Least Rain

Here is a breakdown of the ten states with the least amount of rain in the United States. Nevada has the least amount of rain with only 9.71 inches of rain each year. Other states with very little rainfall include South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona.

  1. Nevada – 9.71 inches
  2. Arizona – 11.98 inches
  3. New Mexico – 13.47 inches
  4. Wyoming – 13.79 inches
  5. Utah – 14.83 inches
  6. Montana – 15.40 inches
  7. Colorado – 16.47 inches
  8. Idaho – 18.16 inches
  9. North Dakota – 19.14 inches
  10. South Dakota – 22.70 inches

Table: Average Annual Rain By State In The United States

Rank State Average Rain (Inches) Days Of Rain
1 Louisiana 59.92 74.23
2 Mississippi 57.34 74.59
3 Alabama 56.15 77.01
4 Hawaii 56.05 89.35
5 Florida 54.39 76.67
6 Tennessee 52.42 82.12
7 Arkansas 50.33 70.91
8 Georgia 49.63 73.16
9 Connecticut 49.01 79.94
10 Rhode Island 48.80 80.57
11 North Carolina 48.43 77.00
12 Massachusetts 47.78 80.29
13 New Jersey 47.19 77.34
14 South Carolina 47.04 72.94
15 Kentucky 46.62 81.14
16 Maine 46.41 82.38
17 New Hampshire 45.49 85.31
18 West Virginia 44.67 92.36
19 Delaware 44.37 75.18
20 New York 44.25 83.60
21 Vermont 43.92 89.57
22 Pennsylvania 43.24 83.88
23 Virginia 42.99 76.18
24 Missouri 42.86 68.59
25 Maryland 42.75 76.67
26 Indiana 41.95 77.24
27 Oregon 40.43 85.24
28 Washington 39.54 85.70
29 Oklahoma 39.47 56.93
30 Ohio 39.43 81.15
31 Illinois 39.14 70.71
32 Iowa 34.77 63.99
33 Texas 34.37 48.89
34 Alaska 33.84 72.37
35 Michigan 33.71 74.59
36 Wisconsin 33.23 67.72
37 Kansas 32.60 53.73
38 Minnesota 28.98 58.02
39 Nebraska 26.84 50.67
40 California 23.12 37.11
41 South Dakota 22.70 47.48
42 North Dakota 19.14 43.06
43 Idaho 18.16 53.19
44 Colorado 16.47 43.21
45 Montana 15.40 43.62
46 Utah 14.83 42.30
47 Wyoming 13.79 36.82
48 New Mexico 13.47 34.05
49 Arizona 11.98 27.63
50 Nevada 9.71 24.55

Methodology: Determining The Rainiest States In The US

We used Saturday Night Science to analyze percipetation data from the NOAA. The NOAA data comes from invididual weather stations strategically located across the United States. We averaged the annual rainfall at each station within a state to create state level averages.

We ranked each state from the highest to the lowest average annual inches of rain. The results showed that the state with the most rain for 2023 is Louisiana.

Conclusion: Average Rainfall By States

According to our findings, Louisiana receives the highest annual rainfall, recording 59.92 inches. On the other hand, Nevada is the driest state, with a minimal annual rainfall of 9.71 inches.

In addition to statistical data, our study highlights significant variations in precipitation frequency. For instance, West Virginia experiences 92.36 days of rain annually, while Nevada encounters only 24.55 rainy days.

Our exploration provides a perspective on the precipitation profiles of each state. It is supported by detailed maps, tables, methodology explanations, and references, fostering a deeper understanding of the nation’s meteorological landscape.

References

  1. www.ncei.noaa.gov
  2. www.weather.gov
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.