Wettest and Driest Seasons/Months in the United States
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Precipitation varies significantly across the U.S. Late summer and autumn tropical cyclones bring rain, dropping across the Atlantic states and Gulf area. In winter and spring, Pacific storm systems get Hawaii and the western U.S. states most precipitation. Low-pressure moving up the U.S.’s eastern shore brings cold season precipitation to the Mid-West and Northeast U.S. states.
The maps below illustrate how the amount of precipitation falls in the U.S. across the seasons.
The maps were created by Brian Brettschneider using the 1981-2010 NCEI climate normals for monthly precipitation.
Wettest Season of the year
Wettest month of the year
Driest season of the year
Driest month of the year
Top 10 driest U.S. states, based on state-wide average precipitation
| Rank | Year | Winter | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | North Dakota | California |
| 2 | Utah | South Dakota | Nevada |
| 3 | Wyoming | Nebraska | Utah |
| 4 | Arizona | Wyoming | Oregon |
| 5 | New Mexico | New Mexico | Idaho |
| 6 | Montana | Montana | Washington |
| 7 | Colorado | Minnesota | Wyoming |
| 8 | North Dakota | Colorado | Arizona |
| 9 | Idaho | Kansas and Nevada (tie) | Colorado and Montana (tie) |
| 10 | South Dakota | Utah | New Mexico |
Dang, no wonder my state has such messed up seasons and weather. It could be cold and snowing one second, then hot and sunny the next moments, all within the same minute.
Yet, I still love Utah.