Rainiest States in America: All 50 States Ranked by Precipitation

Louisiana edges out Mississippi by half an inch. Gulf moisture is the engine — warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico fuels thunderstorms almost daily from May through September. New Orleans Airport averages 64.2 inches per year, but the coastal parishes get even more. Baton Rouge and Lake Charles both clear 60 inches regularly. Hurricanes contribute too — a single landfalling hurricane can dump 10–20 inches in 48 hours.

Mississippi is nearly identical to Louisiana — same Gulf moisture, same afternoon thunderstorm pattern, same hurricane exposure. The southern half of the state consistently receives 60+ inches. Even northern Mississippi, which sits on higher ground, averages 52–54 inches. The state averages 113 rainy days per year, meaning it rains roughly one out of every three days.

Alabama actually has the most rainy days of the top 3 — 115 per year compared to 112 for Louisiana. Mobile, on the Gulf Coast, is one of the rainiest cities in the entire country at 66.7 inches per year. Northern Alabama gets less total rain (around 52 inches) but more frequent light precipitation from frontal systems moving through the Tennessee Valley.

Tennessee surprises people by ranking 4th — ahead of Florida. It rains on 124 days per year here, more than any state in the top 5. The Great Smoky Mountains wring moisture out of weather systems moving east, and the state sits in a convergence zone where Gulf moisture meets cold fronts pushing south. Memphis averages 54 inches, Nashville 47 inches.

Florida's rain is concentrated in a dramatic wet season from June through September, when afternoon thunderstorms pop up like clockwork. Miami International Airport averages 62.5 inches per year — but most of it falls in a 4-month window. The Panhandle (Pensacola: 66.3 inches) is wetter than South Florida on an annual basis, which most people don't expect.

Kentucky is getting significantly wetter. Our data shows the state has gained 2.5 inches of annual precipitation since the 1990s — the 4th-largest increase of any state. It rains on 131 days per year, one of the highest counts east of the Mississippi. The combination of Gulf moisture funneling up the Mississippi Valley and Appalachian orographic lift creates persistent precipitation patterns.

The only New England state in the top 10. Rhode Island is getting wetter faster than almost any state — up 2.8 inches since the 1990s. Nor'easters, coastal storms, and the remnants of hurricanes moving up the Atlantic seaboard all contribute. Providence averages about 47 inches per year, evenly distributed across all 12 months.

Georgia's precipitation varies dramatically from south to north. The coastal plain near Savannah gets 50+ inches from Gulf and Atlantic moisture, while the Piedmont around Atlanta averages 49 inches. The Blue Ridge Mountains in the north receive the most — some stations record 70+ inches per year. Summer thunderstorms account for the bulk of rainfall from June through August.

Arkansas gets nearly as much rain as Georgia but with fewer rainy days — 104 versus 114. That means Arkansas's rain comes in heavier bursts. The state sits where Southern Plains thunderstorms collide with moisture from the Gulf, producing intense rain events. Little Rock averages 50 inches per year, and the Ozark Plateau in the northwest gets slightly less (44 inches).

New Hampshire has 152 rainy days per year — the most of any state in the top 10 and among the highest in the nation. Mt. Washington, at 6,288 feet, records over 100 inches of precipitation annually (including snowfall converted to water equivalent). The White Mountains create orographic lift that squeezes moisture out of every passing weather system.