U.S. Climate Rankings
The country's driest cities, ranked from 6,915 U.S. cities on NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.
Data updated July 2026
Driest cities, the verdict
The driest U.S. cities top out near 1.9", concentrated in CA, AZ, NV - Stovepipe Wells, CA sits at the very top of all 6,915 cities.
- 1.9"
- the driest reading - Stovepipe Wells, CA
- 15
- of the top 25 are in CA
- 6,915
- U.S. cities ranked
- 1991–2020
- NOAA 30-year normals window
Rankings reflect 30-year climate normals, long-run typical conditions, not any single recent year.
Top 10 driest U.S. cities
The 25 U.S. cities with the least annual precipitation.
- Stovepipe Wel…
Stovepipe Wells, CA
1.9 in
- Death Valley …
Death Valley NP, CA
2.2 in
- Brawley
Brawley, CA
2.4 in
- Imperial CO
Imperial CO, CA
2.4 in
- EL Centro
EL Centro, CA
2.5 in
- Imperial
Imperial, CA
2.8 in
- Indio Fire Stn
Indio Fire Stn, CA
2.9 in
- Desert Resort…
Desert Resorts Rgnl, CA
3 in
- Mecca Fire Stn
Mecca Fire Stn, CA
3 in
- Yuma Quarterm…
Yuma Quartermaster Depot, AZ
3.2 in
What this shows Bars show each city's annual precipitation from the NOAA 1991–2020 normals. Stovepipe Wells tops the list at 1.9".
The 25 U.S. cities with the least annual precipitation. Full top 25 below.
| # | City | Avg Temp | High | Low | Precip | Snow | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stovepipe Wells (CA) | 77°F (25°C) | 89°F | 65°F | 1.9" | N/A | 65/100 |
| 2 | Death Valley NP (CA) | 79°F (26°C) | 92°F | 66°F | 2.2" | 0.0" | 70/100 |
| 3 | Brawley (CA) | 74°F (23°C) | 90°F | 58°F | 2.4" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 4 | Imperial CO (CA) | 74°F (23°C) | 89°F | 59°F | 2.4" | N/A | 75/100 |
| 5 | EL Centro (CA) | 74°F (24°C) | 89°F | 60°F | 2.5" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 6 | Imperial (CA) | 73°F (23°C) | 87°F | 59°F | 2.8" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 7 | Indio Fire Stn (CA) | 76°F (24°C) | 88°F | 64°F | 2.9" | 0.0" | 59/100 |
| 8 | Desert Resorts Rgnl (CA) | 73°F (23°C) | 89°F | 56°F | 3.0" | 0.0" | 77/100 |
| 9 | Mecca Fire Stn (CA) | 75°F (24°C) | 88°F | 61°F | 3.0" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 10 | Yuma Quartermaster Depot (AZ) | 75°F (24°C) | 90°F | 59°F | 3.2" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 11 | Yuma Mcas (AZ) | 76°F (24°C) | 88°F | 64°F | 3.3" | 0.0" | 62/100 |
| 12 | Yuma Proving Ground (AZ) | 75°F (24°C) | 88°F | 62°F | 3.5" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 13 | Blythe (CA) | 74°F (24°C) | 88°F | 61°F | 3.6" | N/A | 75/100 |
| 14 | Wendover (UT) | 52°F (11°C) | 63°F | 42°F | 3.6" | N/A | 48/100 |
| 15 | Trona (CA) | 68°F (20°C) | 83°F | 54°F | 3.6" | 0.0" | 77/100 |
| 16 | Eagle Mtn (CA) | 74°F (23°C) | 84°F | 64°F | 3.6" | 0.0" | 69/100 |
| 17 | Barstow Daggett (CA) | 68°F (20°C) | 82°F | 54°F | 3.8" | 0.2" | 77/100 |
| 18 | Amargosa Farms-garey (NV) | 65°F (18°C) | 80°F | 49°F | 3.8" | 0.2" | 77/100 |
| 19 | Tacna (AZ) | 73°F (23°C) | 90°F | 56°F | 3.8" | 0.0" | 77/100 |
| 20 | Twentynine Palms (CA) | 70°F (21°C) | 83°F | 58°F | 3.9" | N/A | 75/100 |
| 21 | Las Vegas Air Terminal (NV) | 69°F (20°C) | 80°F | 58°F | 4.0" | N/A | 75/100 |
| 22 | Yuma (AZ) | 73°F (23°C) | 87°F | 59°F | 4.0" | N/A | 75/100 |
| 23 | Ocotillo Wells (CA) | 77°F (25°C) | 88°F | 65°F | 4.0" | N/A | 54/100 |
| 24 | Ehrenberg (AZ) | 74°F (23°C) | 88°F | 60°F | 4.0" | 0.0" | 80/100 |
| 25 | Hawthorne (NV) | 57°F (14°C) | 70°F | 43°F | 4.2" | 1.2" | 63/100 |
Reading these rankings
Climate extremes make headlines, but livability is a balance.
- Chasing warmth? The warmest cities cluster in Florida, Hawaii, and the desert Southwest, but check humidity and summer extremes too. Most comfortable
- Avoiding snow and cold? Compare the driest and warmest lists against the snowiest before deciding. Driest cities
- Want the full picture for a specific place? Open its city page for monthly tables, frost dates, and degree days. Browse by state
NOAA normals describe the typical 1991–2020 year; they are not forecasts and do not capture post-2020 warming.
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). For informational purposes only.
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.