Jennifer Kinkead McNutt // Shutterstock

Wettest counties in Alabama

Rain, sleet, snow, hail, wintry mix. Precipitation takes on many forms, and the degree to which climate change affects precipitation levels comes down to something almost everyone learns about in school—Earth’s water cycle. A system in endless motion, the water cycle traces the process through which water exists in its three primary phases—liquid, solid, and gas—as it moves perpetually between the Earth and its atmosphere.

Increases in precipitation frequency and intensity are markers of climate change. When temperatures rise and oceans grow warmer, the amount of water that evaporates into the atmosphere—and the speed at which it does so—also increases. As atmospheric circulation carries the moisture-rich air over land or pushes it into a storm system, heavy rain or snow is often the result.

The continental U.S. on average received about 30 inches of precipitation between March 2022 and February 2023. Traditionally “wet” regions—such as Washington state and Alaska in the northwest and Georgia and Mississippi in the southeast—continue to have some of the rainiest counties in the United States. Other areas such as Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as pockets of the South and of California, experience the opposite extreme: drought, also largely a product of climate change.

Stacker cited data from the National Centers for Environmental Information to identify the counties in Alabama that receive the most precipitation through rain, sleet, or snow. Counties are ranked by five-year precipitation averages in inches as of February 2023 with rainfall over the past year serving as a tiebreaker. Supplementary data on how last year’s precipitation compares to the 100-year average for the area is also included.

JNix // Shutterstock

#50. Butler County

– Five-year precipitation average: 59.87 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 55.87 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.04 inches above norm

Canva

#49. Sumter County

– Five-year precipitation average: 59.90 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.51 inches (#99 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.21 inches above norm

Canva

#48. Lee County

– Five-year precipitation average: 59.94 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 52.39 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.02 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#47. Chambers County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.07 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 52.70 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.71 inches below norm

Leah G Moloney // Shutterstock

#46. Hale County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.39 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 61.20 inches (#105 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.31 inches above norm

Canva

#45. Covington County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.43 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 52.26 inches (#34 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -6.54 inches below norm

Canva

#44. Clarke County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.54 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 61.32 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.22 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#43. Autauga County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.60 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 58.91 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.25 inches above norm

EWY Media // Shutterstock

#42. Calhoun County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.76 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 58.53 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.99 inches above norm

Canva

#41. Geneva County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.88 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 53.55 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.82 inches below norm

Canva

#40. Tallapoosa County

– Five-year precipitation average: 60.95 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 57.58 inches (#91 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.25 inches above norm

Canva

#39. Elmore County

– Five-year precipitation average: 61.38 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.68 inches (#108 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.10 inches above norm

Thomas Burks // Shutterstock

#38. Randolph County

– Five-year precipitation average: 61.40 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 57.85 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.04 inches above norm

Canva

#37. Bibb County

– Five-year precipitation average: 61.52 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 59.61 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.25 inches above norm

Canva

#36. Chilton County

– Five-year precipitation average: 61.60 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.13 inches (#100 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.79 inches above norm

Canva

#35. Conecuh County

– Five-year precipitation average: 61.65 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 54.10 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.05 inches below norm

Canva

#34. Cleburne County

– Five-year precipitation average: 62.04 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.00 inches (#92 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.93 inches above norm

Canva

#33. Choctaw County

– Five-year precipitation average: 63.34 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 63.55 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.49 inches above norm

Canva

#32. Escambia County

– Five-year precipitation average: 63.42 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 55.79 inches (#43 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.82 inches below norm

Canva

#31. Jefferson County

– Five-year precipitation average: 63.43 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.11 inches (#90 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.38 inches above norm

Canva

#30. Greene County

– Five-year precipitation average: 63.89 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 62.06 inches (#106 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 8.92 inches above norm

Tracy Burroughs Brown // Shutterstock

#29. Tuscaloosa County

– Five-year precipitation average: 64.00 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 57.77 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.14 inches above norm

Canva

#28. Talladega County

– Five-year precipitation average: 64.11 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 66.74 inches (#119 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 12.88 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#27. Coosa County

– Five-year precipitation average: 64.59 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 65.31 inches (#116 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 10.55 inches above norm

Canva

#26. Morgan County

– Five-year precipitation average: 64.81 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 53.85 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.28 inches below norm

Riley Camp // Shutterstock

#25. St. Clair County

– Five-year precipitation average: 64.84 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 61.44 inches (#99 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.14 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#24. Shelby County

– Five-year precipitation average: 64.94 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 64.22 inches (#112 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 9.17 inches above norm

Canva

#23. Limestone County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.07 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 52.26 inches (#59 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.61 inches below norm

Canva

#22. Etowah County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.08 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 57.91 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.30 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#21. Clay County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.20 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 65.66 inches (#113 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 9.68 inches above norm

George Dodd III // Shutterstock

#20. Baldwin County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.41 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 64.96 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.78 inches above norm

Wayne James // Shutterstock

#19. Lauderdale County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.52 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 51.10 inches (#47 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.06 inches below norm

Shackleford Photography // Shutterstock

#18. Cherokee County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.61 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 58.57 inches (#93 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.88 inches above norm

Canva

#17. Mobile County

– Five-year precipitation average: 65.91 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 66.97 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.19 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#16. Blount County

– Five-year precipitation average: 66.19 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 58.76 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.99 inches above norm

Canva

#15. Marshall County

– Five-year precipitation average: 66.42 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 61.01 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.49 inches above norm

Canva

#14. Walker County

– Five-year precipitation average: 66.44 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.99 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.24 inches above norm

Canva

#13. Cullman County

– Five-year precipitation average: 66.49 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 57.83 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.55 inches above norm

Wayne James // Shutterstock

#12. Colbert County

– Five-year precipitation average: 66.56 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 53.84 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.12 inches above norm

Canva

#11. Lawrence County

– Five-year precipitation average: 67.00 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 56.01 inches (#77 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.43 inches above norm

Canva

#10. Madison County

– Five-year precipitation average: 67.13 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 56.46 inches (#76 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.98 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#9. Washington County

– Five-year precipitation average: 67.50 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 67.18 inches (#98 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.26 inches above norm

Canva

#8. DeKalb County

– Five-year precipitation average: 68.19 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 59.33 inches (#88 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.73 inches above norm

JNix // Shutterstock

#7. Pickens County

– Five-year precipitation average: 68.33 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.66 inches (#101 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 7.06 inches above norm

Carl Banks Photography // Shutterstock

#6. Jackson County

– Five-year precipitation average: 68.54 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 59.54 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.72 inches above norm

Canva

#5. Lamar County

– Five-year precipitation average: 69.41 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 58.62 inches (#84 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.47 inches above norm

Curtis Lee Newton // Shutterstock

#4. Franklin County

– Five-year precipitation average: 69.99 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 59.42 inches (#86 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 4.55 inches above norm

Canva

#3. Fayette County

– Five-year precipitation average: 70.55 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 57.77 inches (#74 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.28 inches above norm

Canva

#2. Winston County

– Five-year precipitation average: 71.37 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 63.20 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 6.58 inches above norm

Jennifer Kinkead McNutt // Shutterstock

#1. Marion County

– Five-year precipitation average: 71.78 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 60.96 inches (#87 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 5.18 inches above norm