U.S. Climate Rankings
The country's wettest station-mapped locations, ranked from the 6,352 records with precipitation in the NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.
Data updated July 2026
Wettest locations, the verdict
The wettest station-mapped U.S. locations top out near 197.3", concentrated in AK, WA, OR - Whittier, AK sits at the top of the 6,352 locations measured for it.
- 197.3"
- the wettest reading - Whittier, AK
- 12
- of the 25 displayed locations are in AK
- 6,352
- station-mapped locations with precipitation measured
- 1991–2020
- NOAA 30-year normals window
Rankings reflect 30-year climate normals, long-run typical conditions, not any single recent year.
Top 10 wettest station-mapped U.S. locations
The 25 station-mapped U.S. locations with the most annual precipitation, including cutoff ties.
- Whittier
Whittier, AK
197.3 in
- Pelican
Pelican, AK
164.6 in
- Port Alexander
Port Alexander, AK
162 in
- Ketchikan
Ketchikan, AK
149.5 in
- Yakutat
Yakutat, AK
142 in
- Hilo
Hilo, HI
120.4 in
- Forks
Forks, WA
119.9 in
- Cougar
Cougar, WA
115.3 in
- Naselle
Naselle, WA
112.2 in
- Petersburg
Petersburg, AK
110.2 in
The 25 station-mapped U.S. locations with the most annual precipitation, including cutoff ties. Full 25-row list below.
| # | Location | Avg Temp | High | Low | Precip | Snow | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whittier (AK) | 41°F (5°C) | 46°F | 36°F | 197.3" | 268.2" | 24/100 |
| 2 | Pelican (AK) | 43°F (6°C) | 48°F | 37°F | 164.6" | 111.7" | 24/100 |
| 3 | Port Alexander (AK) | 46°F (8°C) | 51°F | 40°F | 162.0" | 56.0" | 38/100 |
| 4 | Ketchikan (AK) | 46°F (8°C) | 51°F | 41°F | 149.5" | N/A | 45/100 |
| 5 | Yakutat (AK) | 40°F (4°C) | 47°F | 33°F | 142.0" | N/A | 28/100 |
| 6 | Hilo (HI) | 74°F (23°C) | 81°F | 67°F | 120.4" | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | Forks (WA) | 50°F (10°C) | 60°F | 41°F | 119.9" | 7.9" | 48/100 |
| 8 | Cougar (WA) | 53°F (11°C) | 62°F | 43°F | 115.3" | 16.2" | 48/100 |
| 9 | Naselle (WA) | 51°F (10°C) | 61°F | 41°F | 112.2" | 1.7" | 49/100 |
| 10 | Petersburg (AK) | 43°F (6°C) | 48°F | 38°F | 110.2" | 85.6" | 24/100 |
| 11 | Baring (WA) | 50°F (10°C) | 59°F | 41°F | 109.9" | 44.3" | 43/100 |
| 12 | Metlakatla (AK) | 46°F (8°C) | 51°F | 40°F | 105.2" | N/A | 45/100 |
| 13 | Elfin Cove (AK) | 43°F (6°C) | 47°F | 38°F | 104.0" | 110.0" | 28/100 |
| 14 | Craig (AK) | 45°F (7°C) | 49°F | 41°F | 99.9" | N/A | 33/100 |
| 15 | Hyder (AK) | 43°F (6°C) | 50°F | 36°F | 92.5" | N/A | 28/100 |
| 16 | Paauilo (HI) | 71°F (21°C) | 80°F | 61°F | 90.4" | 0.0" | 76/100 |
| 17 | Tillamook (OR) | 51°F (11°C) | 60°F | 42°F | 89.8" | 0.2" | 53/100 |
| 18 | Government Camp (OR) | 43°F (6°C) | 51°F | 35°F | 89.8" | 232.5" | 24/100 |
| 19 | Klawock (AK) | 45°F (7°C) | 51°F | 39°F | 89.2" | N/A | 40/100 |
| 20 | Highlands (NC) | 51°F (11°C) | 61°F | 41°F | 88.3" | 10.2" | 44/100 |
| 21 | Thorne Bay (AK) | 44°F (7°C) | 51°F | 38°F | 85.2" | N/A | 28/100 |
| 22 | Aberdeen (WA) | 51°F (11°C) | 58°F | 44°F | 84.9" | 0.5" | 53/100 |
| 23 | Mapleton (OR) | 56°F (13°C) | 65°F | 47°F | 84.0" | N/A | 61/100 |
| 24 | Raymond (WA) | 50°F (10°C) | 59°F | 40°F | 83.7" | 1.1" | 49/100 |
| 25 | Darrington (WA) | 50°F (10°C) | 59°F | 41°F | 83.0" | N/A | 45/100 |
Reading these rankings
Climate extremes make headlines, but livability is a balance.
- Chasing warmth? The warmest station-mapped locations 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 locations
- Want the full picture for a specific place? Open its location profile 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.