The Rainiest Cities in the USA: Where It Rains the Most

The rainiest cities in the United States are not all rainy in the same way.

Some places, like Hilo, Hawaii, receive frequent tropical rain that feeds lush vegetation and waterfalls. Some, like Ketchikan, Alaska, sit inside cool coastal rainforest climates where damp, cloudy weather is part of the local identity. Others, such as Mobile, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and New Orleans, receive large annual totals from thunderstorms, tropical moisture, Gulf Coast humidity, and hurricane-season rainfall.

So before ranking the rainiest cities, we need to define the word rainiest.

In this article, “rainiest” means average annual precipitation: the total amount of rain and melted snow that typically falls in a year. This is different from “number of rainy days,” where some misty or drizzly places can rank very high even if their total rainfall is lower.

The most reliable way to understand typical climate is through 30-year climate normals. NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information explains that U.S. Climate Normals provide average temperature, precipitation, and other climate statistics for thousands of observation stations across the country. ¹

1. The Important Caveat: Hawaii and Alaska Change the Ranking

If we include all U.S. states and territories, the rainiest U.S. cities are often not the same cities that appear in “rainiest large cities” lists.

Hilo, Hawaii and Ketchikan, Alaska receive far more annual precipitation than most large cities in the Lower 48.

For example, 1991–2020 climate-normal style summaries list:

• Ketchikan, Alaska: about 149.54 inches of average annual precipitation.
• Hilo, Hawaii: about 120.39 inches of average annual precipitation.
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida: about 68.77 inches of average annual precipitation.
• Miami, Florida: about 67.41 inches of average annual precipitation.
• Mobile, Alabama: about 67.08 inches of average annual precipitation.

That means there are really two useful ways to look at this:

• Rainiest U.S. cities overall: Alaska and Hawaii matter a lot.
• Rainiest larger Lower 48 cities: Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast dominate.

Both perspectives are useful. They just answer slightly different questions.

2. Ketchikan, Alaska: The Rain Capital Reputation

Ketchikan is one of the wettest cities in the United States by annual precipitation.

Climate summaries list Ketchikan at about 149.54 inches of average annual precipitation and about 228 days with precipitation per year. ²

Ketchikan sits in southeast Alaska, near the Tongass National Forest and the Inside Passage. The region’s climate is strongly shaped by the Pacific Ocean, coastal mountains, and moisture-laden air moving inland.

The result is a place where rain is not an occasional inconvenience. It is part of the environment.

This is important because Ketchikan’s rain is not the same as Miami’s rain. Miami often receives intense tropical downpours and thunderstorms. Ketchikan is more associated with persistent cool-season wetness, cloudy skies, and maritime moisture.

Ketchikan’s rainfall is part of the identity of southeast Alaska: forested, coastal, damp, and dramatic.

3. Hilo, Hawaii: Tropical Rain on the Windward Side

Hilo, on the windward side of Hawaii’s Big Island, is one of the most famous rainy cities in the United States.

Climate summaries list Hilo at about 120.39 inches of average annual precipitation and around 267 days with precipitation per year. ³

Hilo’s wet climate is strongly connected to its geography. Moist trade winds move across the Pacific and rise over the island’s terrain. As air rises, it cools, moisture condenses, and rain falls over the windward side.

This is why one side of a Hawaiian island can be dramatically wetter than another.

Hilo’s rain helps create the lush landscapes, waterfalls, gardens, and tropical vegetation that define the area. It is one of the clearest examples of rain shaping a city’s atmosphere, ecology, and identity.

4. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: One of the Wettest Large U.S. Cities

Among larger Lower 48 cities, Fort Lauderdale is often near the top of rainiest-city rankings.

Recent city-ranking summaries using annual precipitation totals place Fort Lauderdale at about 68.77 inches of annual precipitation. ⁴

Fort Lauderdale’s rain is strongly tied to South Florida’s tropical and subtropical climate. Much of the rain falls in warm-season thunderstorms, tropical systems, and heavy downpours.

That means Fort Lauderdale can have a very different rain rhythm from a place like Seattle.

Seattle is famous for cloudiness and drizzle, but South Florida often receives heavier rain in shorter bursts.

In other words, Fort Lauderdale may not always feel rainy all day, but its annual rainfall totals are very high.

5. Miami, Florida: Thunderstorms, Tropical Rain, and Urban Flooding

Miami is one of the rainiest major cities in the United States by total annual precipitation.

CurrentResults lists Miami at about 67.4 inches of annual precipitation, making it the wettest major U.S. city in that specific major-city list. ⁵

Miami’s rain is heavily seasonal. The city often receives intense downpours during the warm season, with thunderstorms forming in humid tropical air. Rain may arrive suddenly, fall hard, and then clear.

This is why Miami can be both sunny and very rainy.

It is not rainy in the same way as the Pacific Northwest. Miami’s rain tends to be warmer, heavier, and more thunderstorm-driven.

Miami also faces a separate but related challenge: flooding. Heavy rainfall can combine with high tides, drainage limitations, and coastal geography to produce urban flooding, especially in low-lying areas.

6. Mobile, Alabama: The Gulf Coast Rain Giant

Mobile, Alabama is one of the rainiest cities in the Lower 48.

Climate summaries list Mobile at about 67.08 inches of average annual precipitation and around 111 days with precipitation per year. ⁶

Mobile’s rainfall comes from its Gulf Coast location. Warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico helps fuel thunderstorms, frontal rain, tropical systems, and heavy downpours.

Unlike cities that receive frequent light rain, Mobile’s high annual total often comes from substantial rain events.

This is one reason the Gulf Coast appears so often in rainiest-city rankings. The region has warmth, humidity, storm systems, and access to deep moisture.

7. New Orleans, Louisiana: Rain, Humidity, and Low Elevation

New Orleans is another famously wet Gulf Coast city.

CurrentResults lists New Orleans at about 63.4 inches of annual precipitation, making it one of the wettest major U.S. cities. ⁵

New Orleans rain is shaped by Gulf moisture, thunderstorms, tropical weather, and the city’s low-lying geography.

Rainfall is not only a climate statistic here. It is also an infrastructure issue.

Because much of New Orleans is low-lying, heavy rain can quickly become a drainage and flooding concern. This makes rainfall intensity as important as annual totals.

In recent years, researchers and local reporting have also drawn attention to the issue of more intense rainstorms in cities such as New Orleans and Miami, which can worsen flash-flood risks.

8. Beaumont, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge: The Wet Gulf Interior

Rainiest-city lists often include several smaller or mid-sized Gulf-region cities that do not always appear in national conversations.

These include:

• Beaumont, Texas: about 65.07 inches annually.
• Lafayette, Louisiana: about 62.81 inches annually.
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana: about 61.94 inches annually.

These cities are wet for similar reasons: proximity to Gulf moisture, humid air masses, thunderstorms, and tropical systems. ⁴

They also show why the rainiest part of the Lower 48 is not only Florida. The Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi Valley are central to the story.

The rain here is not just frequent. It can be heavy.

9. Wilmington, North Carolina: Atlantic Moisture and Tropical Exposure

Wilmington, North Carolina also ranks high among rainy U.S. cities, with summaries placing it around 60.15 inches of annual precipitation. ⁴

Its position on the Atlantic coastal plain matters. Wilmington can receive rain from thunderstorms, coastal systems, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

The Southeast Atlantic coast has a different rainfall pattern from the Gulf Coast, but the result can still be high annual precipitation.

Places like Wilmington remind us that “rainiest” is not only about the tropics. Coastal exposure, storm tracks, and warm-season convection all matter.

10. Why Seattle Is Not Usually the Rainiest City by Total Rainfall

Many people assume Seattle must be the rainiest city in the United States.

It is not, at least not by total annual precipitation.

Seattle is famous for cloudy skies, frequent light rain, and a long damp season. But its annual precipitation total is much lower than cities such as Miami, Mobile, New Orleans, Hilo, or Ketchikan.

This is a useful example of how “rainiest” can mean different things.

A city can feel rainy because it has many cloudy or drizzly days.

Another city can be rainier by total inches because it gets intense downpours.

Seattle is rain-famous. But by annual precipitation volume, the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Hawaii, and southeast Alaska are usually the true leaders.

11. Rainiest Major U.S. Cities by Annual Precipitation

For major cities, CurrentResults lists the following among the wettest by annual precipitation:

Rank	City	Average Annual Precipitation	Why It Is Wet
1	Miami, Florida	67.4 in	Tropical moisture, thunderstorms, wet season
2	New Orleans, Louisiana	63.4 in	Gulf moisture, thunderstorms, tropical systems
3	Birmingham, Alabama	56.6 in	Southeastern storm systems and humid air
4	Houston, Texas	55.6 in	Gulf moisture and heavy rainfall events
5	Memphis, Tennessee	54.9 in	Moisture transport from Gulf systems

This table is useful for major-city comparisons, but it does not include every wet smaller city or Alaska/Hawaii rainfall leader. ⁵

12. Rainiest Lower 48 Cities by Annual Precipitation

When smaller and mid-sized cities are included, recent rankings place the following Lower 48 cities near the top:

Rank	City	Average Annual Precipitation
1	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	68.77 in
2	Miami, Florida	67.41 in
3	Mobile, Alabama	67.08 in
4	Beaumont, Texas	65.07 in
5	New Orleans, Louisiana	63.35 in
6	Lafayette, Louisiana	62.81 in
7	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	61.94 in
8	West Palm Beach, Florida	61.75 in
9	Port St. Lucie, Florida	61.03 in
10	Wilmington, North Carolina	60.15 in

The pattern is clear: Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and North Carolina dominate the Lower 48 list. ⁴

13. Why the Southeast and Gulf Coast Are So Wet

The Southeast and Gulf Coast are wet because the region has access to warm, moist air.

Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean helps fuel:

• summer thunderstorms
• tropical storms
• hurricanes
• frontal rain systems
• slow-moving heavy-rain events

Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. In humid regions, that moisture can convert into heavy rainfall when storms develop.

This helps explain why a sunny-looking southern city can still receive enormous annual precipitation totals.

It may not rain gently every day.

But when it rains, it can rain hard.

14. Why the Pacific Northwest Feels Rainier Than It Is

The Pacific Northwest has a strong rainy reputation, especially around Seattle and Portland.

This reputation comes from frequent cloud cover, long wet seasons, and many days with light precipitation.

But by annual precipitation total, many Pacific Northwest cities are not as wet as the Gulf Coast or South Florida.

This difference matters.

A city with 150 drizzly days can feel rainier than a city with fewer but heavier downpours.

But if we measure total precipitation volume, warm humid cities often outrank famous drizzly cities.

15. Rainfall vs Rainy Days: Which Ranking Is More Useful?

There is no single perfect ranking.

If you are choosing where to live, rainy days may matter more because they affect daily routine.

If you are studying flooding, stormwater systems, drainage, or climate risk, rainfall intensity and annual precipitation may matter more.

If you are comparing ecosystems, total rainfall and seasonal patterns are important.

A good way to think about it:

• Ketchikan: very wet, frequent precipitation, cool coastal climate.
• Hilo: frequent tropical rain, lush windward climate.
• Miami/Fort Lauderdale: high annual totals, strong wet season, intense downpours.
• Mobile/New Orleans: Gulf moisture, thunderstorms, tropical systems.
• Seattle: famous for frequent light rain, but not the highest total rainfall.

16. The Rainiest Cities Tell a Bigger Climate Story

Rainiest-city rankings are not just trivia.

They tell us how geography shapes daily life.

Rain affects:

• urban drainage
• road safety
• commuting habits
• architecture
• landscaping
• tourism
• flood risk
• mold and humidity issues
• local culture

A rainy city has to live with rain structurally, not just personally.

That means storm drains, building design, road maintenance, flood planning, landscaping, and public transportation all become part of the rain story.

17. Final Ranking Summary

If we include Alaska and Hawaii, the rainiest U.S. city conversation must include:

• Ketchikan, Alaska: about 149.54 inches annually.
• Hilo, Hawaii: about 120.39 inches annually.

If we focus on larger Lower 48 cities, the list shifts toward:

• Fort Lauderdale, Florida: about 68.77 inches annually.
• Miami, Florida: about 67.41 inches annually.
• Mobile, Alabama: about 67.08 inches annually.
• New Orleans, Louisiana: about 63.35 inches annually.

The simple conclusion:

America’s rainiest cities are mostly coastal, humid, and strongly shaped by ocean moisture.

In Alaska and Hawaii, rain is shaped by coastal mountains, oceanic air, and local terrain. In the Lower 48, the rainiest cities are heavily concentrated in South Florida and the Gulf Coast.

Click to Reveal: Guess the U.S. State That Rains the Least

Before opening the answer, take a guess.

Is it Arizona? New Mexico? Utah? California?

Click to reveal the driest U.S. state

The answer is Nevada.

Nevada is the nation’s driest state. The Nevada State Climate Summary notes that statewide annual average precipitation from 1895–2020 was only about 10.2 inches, with 1991–2020 normals ranging from around 4 inches in some low-elevation southwestern areas to more than 50 inches on high mountain peaks. ⁹

So the same country that includes Ketchikan, Hilo, Miami, and Mobile also includes the driest state in the nation. That is what makes U.S. climate geography so interesting.

Image Sources and Usage Notes

1. Hilo / Hawaii waterfall image: Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for license and attribution requirements before commercial use.
2. Ketchikan waterfront image: Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for license and attribution requirements before commercial use.
3. Miami summer thunderstorm image: Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Marc Averette, CC BY-SA.
4. Miami tidal flooding image: Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for license and attribution requirements before commercial use.
5. Mobile skyline image: Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for license and attribution requirements before commercial use.
6. New Orleans rainy street image: Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for license and attribution requirements before commercial use.
7. New Orleans streetcar rain image: Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for license and attribution requirements before commercial use.

References

1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. “U.S. Climate Normals.” NOAA NCEI. Explains that U.S. Climate Normals provide temperature, precipitation, and snowfall averages for thousands of U.S. observation locations.
2. U.S. Climate Data. “Climate Ketchikan — Alaska.” U.S. Climate Data. Lists Ketchikan average annual precipitation at 149.54 inches and 228 precipitation days, using 1991–2020 normals.
3. U.S. Climate Data. “Climate Hilo — Hawaii.” U.S. Climate Data. Lists Hilo average annual precipitation at 120.39 inches and 267 precipitation days, using 1991–2020 normals.
4. Redfin. “The 10 Rainiest Cities in the U.S., Ranked.” Redfin. Provides a 2025 ranking by annual precipitation total, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Mobile, Beaumont, New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, and Wilmington.
5. CurrentResults. “United States’ Rainiest Cities.” CurrentResults. Lists annual precipitation totals for major U.S. cities, including Miami, New Orleans, Birmingham, Houston, and Memphis.
6. U.S. Climate Data. “Climate Mobile — Alabama.” U.S. Climate Data. Lists Mobile average annual precipitation at 67.08 inches and 111 precipitation days, using 1991–2020 normals.
7. NOAA Climate.gov. “New maps of annual average temperature and precipitation from the U.S. Climate Normals.” NOAA Climate.gov. Provides context on 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals and national precipitation geography.
8. NOAA NCEI. “U.S. Monthly Climate Normals.” NOAA NCEI. Describes monthly climate normals as 30-year averages used to understand typical climate conditions.
9. NOAA / NCICS. “Nevada State Climate Summary 2022.” State Climate Summaries. States that Nevada is the nation’s driest state, with statewide annual average precipitation of 10.2 inches for 1895–2020.