Despite a strong El Niño season, many areas in the U.S. are experiencing a major drought — you’ve probably heard about California’s water shortage. With April showers around the corner, WeatherDB crunched the numbers to find out which 30 cities in the U.S. receive the most precipitation annually.
The team at WeatherDB analyzed data from NOAA‘s 1981-2010 U.S. Climate Normals for precipitation. They compared the average annual precipitation across cities with a population of at least 20,000 people, according to the 2010 census. For each city, annual precipitation in inches, as well as record precipitation facts, rainiest month and average temperature were included.
From Florida to Washington, the wettest cities are spread widely throughout the country. These 30 cities have diverse rainiest months, ranging from May to February. However, April is not the rainiest month for any of these soggy cities. The wettest city once received nearly 20 inches of precipitation in a single day, and each of these cities gets at least 59 inches of precipitation annually.
#30. Columbia, Tennessee
Annual Precipitation (inches): 59.75
Record Precipitation (inches): 9
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, March 28, 2002
Rainiest Month: May
Average Temperature (°F) : 58.86
#29. Shelbyville, Tennessee
Annual Precipitation (inches): 59.99
Record Precipitation (inches): 7.6
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, March 28, 2002
Rainiest Month: March
Average Temperature (°F): 57.66
#28. Beaumont, Texas
Annual Precipitation (inches): 60.47
Record Precipitation (inches): 15.21
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, June 7, 2001
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 69.00
#27. Lafayette, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 60.5
Record Precipitation (inches): 12
Record Precipitation Date: Sunday, May 22, 1927
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 69.18
#26. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 60.65
Record Precipitation (inches): 9.3
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, January 1, 1942
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 68.40
#25. Hialeah, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 61.05
Record Precipitation (inches): 12.79
Record Precipitation Date: Tuesday, October 3, 2000
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 76.43
#24. Pensacola, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 61.2
Record Precipitation (inches): 14.1
Record Precipitation Date: Saturday, March 3, 1979
Rainiest Month: July
Average Temperature (°F): 67.39
#23. Jupiter, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 61.32
Record Precipitation (inches): 12.01
Record Precipitation Date: Monday, July 31, 1933
Rainiest Month: September
Average Temperature (°F): 73.53
#22. Slidell, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 61.72
Record Precipitation (inches): 13.42
Record Precipitation Date: Wednesday, May 10, 1995
Rainiest Month: August
Average Temperature (°F): 67.08
#21. Hammond, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 61.8
Record Precipitation (inches): 8.1
Record Precipitation Date: Wednesday, June 7, 1950
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 66.81
#20. Miami, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 61.9
Record Precipitation (inches): 10.06
Record Precipitation Date: Saturday, September 10, 1960
Rainiest Month: September
Average Temperature (°F): 77.16
#19. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 62.18
Record Precipitation (inches): 12.25
Record Precipitation Date: Sunday, October 12, 1947
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 77.63
#18. Juneau, Alaska
Annual Precipitation (inches): 62.27
Record Precipitation (inches): 17.38
Record Precipitation Date: Sunday, October 14, 1923
Rainiest Month: September
Average Temperature (°F): 42.05
#17. West Palm Beach, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 62.33
Record Precipitation (inches): 12.95
Record Precipitation Date: Friday, April 17, 1942
Rainiest Month: September
Average Temperature (°F): 75.36
#16. Crestview, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 62.35
Record Precipitation (inches): 10.75
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, July 7, 1994
Rainiest Month: July
Average Temperature (°F): 68.66
#15. New Orleans, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 62.45
Record Precipitation (inches): 14.01
Record Precipitation Date: Saturday, April 16, 1927
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 69.66
#14. Homestead, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 62.6
Record Precipitation (inches): 15.1
Record Precipitation Date: Friday, August 26, 2005
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 73.59
#13. Sulphur, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 63.37
Record Precipitation (inches): 12
Record Precipitation Date: Friday, May 16, 1980
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 67.35
#12. Pembroke Pines, Florida
Annual Precipitation (inches): 63.92
Record Precipitation (inches): 11.51
Record Precipitation Date: Wednesday, April 25, 1979
Rainiest Month: June
Average Temperature (°F): 76.45
#11. Prairieville, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 64.29
Record Precipitation (inches): 10.65
Record Precipitation Date: Wednesday, June 18, 1997
Rainiest Month: August
Average Temperature (°F): 67.50
#10. Houma, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 64.51
Record Precipitation (inches): 11.35
Record Precipitation Date: Sunday, May 31, 1959
Rainiest Month: August
Average Temperature (°F): 69.13
#9. Gulfport, Mississippi
Annual Precipitation (inches): 64.68
Record Precipitation (inches): 11.63
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, August 30, 2012
Rainiest Month: July
Average Temperature (°F): 67.57
#8. Mobile, Alabama
Annual Precipitation (inches): 65.28
Record Precipitation (inches): 12.2
Record Precipitation Date: Wednesday, July 6, 1916
Rainiest Month: July
Average Temperature (°F): 67.33
#7. Pascagoula, Mississippi
Annual Precipitation (inches): 65.4
Record Precipitation (inches): 12
Record Precipitation Date: Monday, September 28, 1998
Rainiest Month: July
Average Temperature (°F): 66.83
#6. Corvallis, Oregon
Annual Precipitation (inches): 65.9
Record Precipitation (inches): 6.29
Record Precipitation Date: Tuesday, November 19, 1996
Rainiest Month: December
Average Temperature (°F): 52.08
#5. Longview, Washington
Annual Precipitation (inches): 66.81
Record Precipitation (inches): 6.68
Record Precipitation Date: Monday, December 3, 2007
Rainiest Month: November
Average Temperature (°F): 51.61
#4. Marrero, Louisiana
Annual Precipitation (inches): 67.26
Record Precipitation (inches): 13
Record Precipitation Date: Saturday, April 16, 1927
Rainiest Month: September
Average Temperature (°F): 69.86
#3. Kailua, Hawaii
Annual Precipitation (inches): 71.12
Record Precipitation (inches): 13.25
Record Precipitation Date: Friday, March 25, 1994
Rainiest Month: January
Average Temperature (°F): 76.90
#2. Maple Valley, Washington
Annual Precipitation (inches): 85.73
Record Precipitation (inches): 6.16
Record Precipitation Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Rainiest Month: November
Average Temperature (°F): 49.89
#1. Hilo, Hawaii
Annual Precipitation (inches): 156.79
Record Precipitation (inches): 19.5
Record Precipitation Date: Thursday, November 2, 2000
Rainiest Month: December
Average Temperature (°F): 70.65
