Average rainfall by state: wettest and driest states
The wettest state is Hawaii, which averaged 61.7 in of precipitation a year over 1991–2020. The driest is Nevada, at 10.2 in a year. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, nClimDiv statewide climate data, 1991–2020.
Precipitation includes rain plus the water content of snow, so a snowy state is not automatically a wet one. Statewide averages also hide large contrasts within states, such as wet mountains beside dry valleys. For temperature, see the coldest and hottest states.
The middle of the 50-state distribution is 43.5 in: the average of the 25th and 26th ordered state estimates. This treats each state equally, so it answers a different question from a population-weighted national estimate.
Are the wettest states also the warmest?
These states’ ranks change the most between annual precipitation and average temperature. These comparisons identify different questions worth investigating; a rank gap does not measure a causal effect or a statistical difference between unlike units.
Hawaii, with an average of 61.7 in of precipitation a year over 1991–2020.
What is the driest state?
Nevada is the driest state, with an average of 10.2 in of precipitation a year over 1991–2020.
Does this count snow?
Yes. Snow is counted by the water it contains when melted, so a deep snowfall adds far less than its depth.
What this ranking measures
Average annual precipitation across the whole state, 1991–2020, in inches: rain plus the water content of snow and other frozen precipitation.
A statewide average hides large differences within states, such as wet mountains next to dry valleys. Snowfall is counted as its melted water content, not its depth.
The size of the gap
The difference between the highest and lowest state estimates is 51.6 in. NOAA publishes an average for the contiguous 48 states (31.3 inches a year for 1991–2020), not one for all 50.
How much should you read into a rank?
NOAA does not publish margins of error for statewide averages. Each value is an area-weighted average of a gridded analysis built from weather stations, so it describes the whole state, not any one town. “Not published” means uncertainty is not quantified here, not that the estimates are exact.
Ranks use the full precision of the source file, so only truly equal values share a rank (1, 2, 2, 4).
Sum of the 12 published monthly statewide averages for 1991–2020 (period code 0010). Rank = 1 + number of eligible jurisdictions with a higher value.
Coverage
The 50 states are ranked. Washington, D.C., can be added with the toggle above the table; Puerto Rico is shown for reference only, where the source covers it.
Cadence
Updated monthly; 30-year period averages change once a decade. The 1991–2020 average is fixed; the next standard period is 2001–2030.
Independence
Rank the States is independent. The agencies that produce the source data do not endorse these rankings.
Last updated Oct. 23, 2026. Earlier editions stay available on the data page, and every change is listed in the update log. If a number or definition looks wrong, report an error with the state, value, and source you checked.
Related rankings
State distributions: each mark is one state, from lowest to highest. Each row
uses its own scale.