When you’ve been cooped up all day, waiting for the deluge to stop, you may think you’ve visited the rainiest city in the US. But which is the rainiest city in the US?
We’ve compiled a list of the wettest cities in the US (with a population above 25,000). For this list, if you melt down whatever precipitation falls into liquid form and end up with at least 0.01 inches of liquid, it counts as a “rainy” day.
Grab your umbrella, and let’s find out where to get wet.
What Is the Rainiest City in the United States?
Let’s take a look at the rainiest places in the United States, according to the average number of days with measurable precipitation (0.01 inches or more) using data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
1. Hilo, Hawaii
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 276
- Average Annual Precipitation: 156.79 inches
- Average Wettest Month: July and August
- Average Driest Month: January and February
Hilo, Hawaii, takes the top spot for the rainiest city in the US, with an average of 276 days of rain per year. That means over three-quarters of the year in Hilo produces at least some rain!
Why does this happen? There are two key reasons:
First, Hilo is located on the windward side of the Big Island of Hawaii, which means that it is directly in the path of moist trade winds that blow in from the Pacific Ocean.
These trade winds pick up moisture as they pass over the ocean and release it as rain when they encounter the mountains on the island.
Second, the city is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, which help squeeze the moisture out of the passing trade winds, especially when the mountains act as a catalyst to promote the growth of afternoon thunderstorms.
The high rainfall in Hilo has both positive and negative impacts. The rain provides the city with a lush, green landscape and abundant water for agriculture and other uses. However, frequent rain sometimes causes flooding and landslides, which can be dangerous for residents.
Hilo’s wettest season is the summer, with 27 days of rain on average during July and August, while the winter is driest, with “only” 17 days of rain during January and February.
2. Juneau, Alaska
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 224
- Average Annual Precipitation: 62.27 inches
- Average Wettest Month: October
- Average Driest Month: June
Juneau takes the number two spot with 224 days of rain on average each year. Its rain comes primarily from strong Pacific storms that draw warm, moist air north from Hawaii towards Alaska, clashing with cold air from the North Pole.
These air cells clash, producing violent storms and days of rain. Sometimes enough cold air is present to produce snow, which can accumulate significantly: Juneau averages 93.6 inches of snow yearly, which makes Juneau the second snowiest city in the US!
Additionally, even when no powerful storms are nearby, rain or snow can occur in Juneau due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and high coastal mountain ranges.
Much like Hawaii, when moisture-laden air blowing across the Pacific smashes into tall mountains, it results in heavy precipitation. It also produces many gloomy days in the city. With 280 cloudy days per year, Juneau is the cloudiest city in America.
Juneau’s wettest season is autumn, with October bringing 23 days of rain on average. Summers are usually drier, with June only producing 16 days of precipitation on average. The average annual temperature in Juneau is only 42.1°F, earning Juneau a position on the list of the coldest places in the USA.
3. San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 202
- Average Annual Precipitation: 56.35 inches
- Average Wettest Month: December
- Average Driest Month: March and April
Much like Hilo, San Juan, Puerto Rico, earns a spot in the top eleven based on the interaction between tropical moisture, trade winds, and tall mountains.
Where Hawaii gets its moisture from trade winds blowing across the Pacific, San Juan and the rest of Puerto Rico get moisture from the same trade winds as they blow across the Atlantic.
When these moisture-laden winds encounter the tall mountains in Puerto Rico, condensation forms storm clouds and torrential downpours.
San Juan’s rainiest month is December, with 20 days, on average, featuring precipitation of some measurable amount. March and April comprise the “dry” season, with only 13 days of rain, on average, each month.
Despite all the rain, San Juan is the hottest city in the US, with an average annual temperature of 81.0°F.
4. Syracuse, New York
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 172
- Average Annual Precipitation: 38.47 inches
- Average Wettest Month: December and January
- Average Driest Month: August
Moving out of the tropics to the exceptionally rainy coastal parts of Alaska. Syracuse’s average annual rainy (or snowy) day count of 172 days is impressive! Especially when you consider that the city is over 1,000 miles from tropical oceans and is even farther from serious mountain ranges.
So how can Syracuse beat Miami and Seattle, among others, for the fourth spot? The answer lies about 20 miles northwest of the city: Lake Ontario.
During the winter, cold air from Canada moves across the still-warm lakes to produce bands of lake-effect rain and snow. How does this happen? Warm air is less dense than cold air and will rise if located beneath colder air.
When cold air masses come south out of Canada in the winter, a small layer of warm air adjacent to the Great Lakes is trapped beneath a much colder blanket of air coming in from the north. This warm air is rich with moisture due to evaporation from the lakes, which then rises (remember it is less dense than the surrounding cold air).
As it rises, the lake air cools, which means it can hold less moisture, and any excess must fall out as rain or snow. Lake-effect rain or snow can last for days, which is why Syracuse, and most of the top eleven list, are located near the southern or eastern shores of the Great Lakes.
Syracuse also has the honor of being the snowiest major city in the United States, with an average annual snowfall total of 114.3 inches. During the summer, the lake doesn’t affect the city’s weather very much, and partly as a result, August is its driest month.
5. Buffalo, New York
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 167
- Average Annual Precipitation: 40.48 inches
- Average Wettest Month: January
- Average Driest Month: July and August
Buffalo, New York, earns its spot in the top eleven the same way Syracuse does: months and months of lake-effect snow and rain during the winter.
January is Buffalo’s wettest month, though most of its precipitation during this time falls as snow. In an average year, 92.0 inches of snow accumulates in Buffalo. Sometimes the city can approach that number in a single storm!
During the summer, nearby Lake Erie inhibits rainfall when its cooler waters suppress the instability needed for thunderstorm formation. Therefore, July and August are much drier in Buffalo.
6. Olympia, Washington
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 163
- Average Annual Precipitation: 50.00 inches
- Average Wettest Month: December and January
- Average Driest Month: July and August
Just down from Puget Sound and the notoriously soggy Seattle, Olympia earns a spot in the top eleven thanks to moisture-laden Pacific storms crashing into the Cascade mountains located just east of the city.
Why does Olympia come in at a respectable number six, outranking nearby Seattle? True, Seattle is also west of the Cascades, but it’s east of another mountain range: the Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula that forms Washington’s northwesternmost reaches.
When air coming in from the Pacific Ocean hits these mountains, moisture gets wrung out, just like in Hawaii and Alaska, leaving less available moisture for rain and snow in Seattle. Olympia is just far enough south not to suffer the same disruptions of westerly or southwesterly winds.
Winter is Olympia’s wettest period, with December and January each recording 20 wet days on average. Summer is very dry in Olympia, with only 5 days of rain on average during July and August.
7. Erie, Pennsylvania
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 162
- Average Annual Precipitation: 42.16 inches
- Average Wettest Month: December and January
- Average Driest Month: July, August, and September
Located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, Erie, Pennsylvania, also experiences regular lake-effect storms during the winter months. In contrast, summers (especially August) are quite dry.
Tied at 162 days of precipitation, with Binghamton and Rochester across the border in New York, Erie claims the number seven spot with an annual average rainfall tally of 42.16 inches.
The win is thanks to its position slightly farther east along Lake Erie than Rochester’s placement along Lake Ontario. Cold air usually enters the Great Lakes region from the west or northwest, which means that cities east of the lakes are favored for lake-effect precipitation.
8. Binghamton, New York
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 162
- Average Annual Precipitation: 39.30 inches
- Average Wettest Month: December
- Average Driest Month: July, August, and September
It’s the same old story for Binghamton, New York, also located downwind of the Great Lakes in the central part of New York state.
Unlike Syracuse, Buffalo, and Erie, Binghamton isn’t directly adjacent to one of the Great Lakes, but lake-effect storms can send light rain and snow hundreds of miles downwind. This means that Binghamton rarely gets the epic blizzards observed in Buffalo or even Syracuse.
Binghamton’s 84.7 inches of average snowfall is lower than any of the other upstate New York cities on this list. Even so, Binghamton logs just enough days with light precipitation to tie Erie and Rochester with an average of 162 days of precipitation each year.
In the summer, though, Binghamton’s greater distance from the lakes becomes an asset as thunderstorms have an easier time developing near and dumping rain on the city. Summer thunderstorms are most common earlier in the season.
By July, the dry season begins with only 10 days of rain, on average occurring in July, August, and September. Binghamton’s average annual rainfall total of 39.30 inches pushes Rochester down to spot number nine.
9. Rochester, New York
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 162
- Average Annual Precipitation: 34.27 inches
- Average Wettest Month: January
- Average Driest Month: July and August
There isn’t much more to say about Rochester, New York, that hasn’t already been said. Located just south of Lake Ontario, Rochester is far enough west along the lake to miss out on the prolific blizzards that blanket Buffalo and Syracuse.
Daily lighter snow earns it a tie with Erie and Binghamton in terms of the number of days per year with at least some precipitation.
The suboptimal lake alignment and close proximity to cool, thunderstorm-killing air in the summer put it at the bottom of the heap in terms of average annual rainfall, at least among those cities with 162 days of precipitation on average. Still, Rochester manages to stack up 89.3 inches of snow each year, a very respectable showing!
10. Youngstown, Ohio
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 159
- Average Annual Precipitation: 38.91 inches
- Average Wettest Month: December and January
- Average Driest Month: August and September
Youngstown, Ohio, takes the number 10 spot with 159 days of precipitation each year. Located 55 miles southeast of Lake Erie, Youngstown benefits from lake-effect precipitation, though to a much lesser extent than cities closer to the lakes, such as Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester.
The marginal proximity to Lake Erie is enough to earn Youngstown 57.5 inches of snowfall each year.
Youngstown also has beneficial placement near the western edge of the Appalachian mountains, meaning that when moisture-laden air arrives from the Gulf of Mexico or the Great Lakes, it is forced to rise up the gently-sloping foothills.
While nowhere near as prolific as the mountain-induced storm formations that Juneau or Olympia might get, the combination of just enough lake-effect exposure and just enough mountain boost, combined with plenty of summer thunderstorms, puts Youngstown on the board at number 10.
Late summer and early fall are the driest times in Youngstown after the peak thunderstorm season and before the peak lake-effect season. Lake effect beats out the summertime thunderstorms for the wettest season, which is December into January.
11. Akron, Ohio
- Average Annual Rainy Days: 156
- Average Annual Precipitation: 39.62 inches
- Average Wettest Month: January
- Average Driest Month: August and September
Akron is located in northeastern Ohio, just south of Cleveland, and benefits from lake-effect much like many other cities on this list. Because lake-effect plays a big part in Akron’s propensity for precipitation, January is the wettest month.
At this point, plenty of cold air moves down from Canada, while Lake Erie hasn’t completely frozen over yet. August and September are the driest months of the year, following after peak summertime thunderstorm season and before lake effect begins in earnest.
Akron has the same number of rainy (or snowy) days as nearby Cleveland. Still, it narrowly takes the number eleven spot because of its slightly higher average annual rainfall total.
Better support for summertime thunderstorms farther from Lake Erie is probably responsible for this difference. On the flip side, because it’s farther from Lake Erie, Akron doesn’t get quite as much snow, with “only” 47.6 inches stacking up in an average year.
Snow-wise, it’s still better than the US average but almost 10 inches less than Cleveland.
Honorable Mention: Seattle, Washington
Seattle, the famously rainy city, narrowly misses inclusion in the top-eleven list. Like Akron and Cleveland in Ohio, Seattle also logs 156 days with rain (or snow) on average each year, but it falls just short in our tie-breaker metric of total average annual precipitation at 37.49 inches.
Rainiest Cities Based on Average Annual Precipitation Total
Why aren’t any cities from the humid, often-soaked southeastern US on this list? With its tropical storms and hurricanes, Miami seems pretty rainy, right? This list rewards consistency over intensity by ranking cities based on the number of rainy days per year.
Even a few stray snowflakes emerging from an otherwise dry cloud on the edge of a lake-effect band helps the Great Lakes cities sweep most of the top eleven spots listed above. However, it often takes a full-on deluge for Miami, New Orleans, or Houston to tally a rainy day.
So, what do the standings look like if we rank each United States City by the total amount of rain (and liquid water equivalent of snowfall) that falls from the sky each year? Read on to find out!
Like the top-eleven list above, we are using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) to compute these rankings, and we’re only including cities within the United States with a population greater than 25,000.
- Hilo, Hawaii: 156.79 inches
- Mobile, Alabama: 65.28 inches
- New Orleans, Louisiana: 62.45 inches
- West Palm Beach, Florida: 62.33 inches
- Juneau, Alaska: 62.27 inches
- Miami, Florida: 61.90 inches
- Pensacola, Florida: 61.20 inches
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 60.65 inches
- Port Arthur, Texas: 60.47 inches
- Tallahassee, Florida: 59.23 inches
- Wilmington, North Carolina: 57.61 inches
Final Thoughts
Which cities in the United States you consider the rainiest depends somewhat on how you view a “rainy” day. Is your definition of a rainy city one where it rains often?
If so, Hawaii and coastal Alaska take the top spots as the rainiest places in the US, but the rest of the list is dominated by the Great Lakes, thanks mostly to lake-effect storms.
If your definition of a rainy city is one where the rain falls in prodigious quantities, the southeastern US is generally your bullseye.
That said, Hilo, Hawaii, tops the charts no matter how you measure it, which means we can unambiguously give it the title of the wettest city in the United States.
But what states get the most rain on average each year? Take a look at our list of the rainiest states in the US to find out.
This list is compiled using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information’s Comparative Climatic Dataset. This dataset uses information spanning from the late 1940s or early 1950s (depending on the station) until 2020, ensuring a long period of reliable data to make comparisons.
