Washington Doesn’t Make the Top 10 Rainiest States List?

The Hoh Rainforest is on the western slope of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, loaded with thousands of acres of bright green moss. Located near the old logging town of Forks, the rainforest is iconic for receiving the most rainfall of any forest in the lower 48. 

How much rain falls in the Hoh Rainforest?

An average of 129 inches of rain falls annually in the Hoh Rainforest. Almost half of the annual rainfall (60 inches) occurs in the rainy months of November, December, and January.

With as much rain as they get in the Hoh River area, you'd quickly think that Washington would be near the top for most annual rainfall in the US.

Right?

The Puget Sound region, known for many cloudy, drizzly days, is protected by the Olympic Mountain Range. Seattle's  39.34 inches per year doesn't even come close to Forks's average annual rainfall. The Emerald City would easily have almost as much rain as Forks and the Hoh Rainforest area if not for the Olympic Mountains.

Why is Central/Eastern Washington so dry?

Yet another mountain range, The Cascades, protects half of the state of Washington from rainfall.

If you’ve driven from Seattle to Central Washington, you’ve experienced starting your drive in gray, drizzly conditions.  The rain and drizzle remain constant as you gain elevation to Snoqualmie Pass. The rain and the clouds slowly disappear as you drive from Snoqualmie Summit to Cle Elum.  Depending on the weather flow from the Pacific, the central part of Washington is protected by one, sometimes two, mountain ranges. For this reason, the towns of Wenatchee and Yakima enjoy an average of 300-plus days of sunshine and much less rain than the west side of the state. 

Washington. Known for the wet side and the dry side.

You’d think Washington would easily fall into the top ten American states for rainfall. I was surprised that the Evergreen State isn’t even in the top half of states for average rainfall. Would you believe that Washington comes in 29th for average annual rainfall?

How does Washington compare to its Northwest neighbors?

Get our free mobile app

Washington’s annual rainfall, 38.4 inches, ranks 29th in America. Oregon is ranked 36th nationally—its towns see an average of 27.4 inches of rain. Idaho is the dryer of the three, coming in 42nd place. Montana is the driest in our region, coming in 45th—just missing America's top five driest states.

Who are the five dry states in America?

50 - Nevada (9.5 inches annually)

49 - Utah (12.2 inches annually)

48 - Wyoming (12.9 inches annually)

47 - Arizona (13.6 inches annually)

46 - New Mexico (14.6 inches annually)

Who are the five wettest states in America?

1 - Hawaii (63.7 inches annually)

2 - Lousiana (60.1 inches annually)

3 - Mississippi (59.0 inches annually)

4 - Alabama (58.3 inches annually)

5 - Florida (54.5 inches annually)