jfergusonphotos // Shutterstock
Wettest counties in Idaho
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 Idaho 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.
Canva
#44. Jerome County
– Five-year precipitation average: 8.05 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 7.17 inches (#16 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.56 inches below norm
Canva
#43. Lincoln County
– Five-year precipitation average: 8.30 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 8.24 inches (#25 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.29 inches below norm
Canva
#42. Gooding County
– Five-year precipitation average: 8.88 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 8.38 inches (#23 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.80 inches below norm
Canva
#41. Minidoka County
– Five-year precipitation average: 8.92 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 8.82 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.91 inches below norm
B Brown // Shutterstock
#40. Jefferson County
– Five-year precipitation average: 9.01 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 8.49 inches (#51 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.20 inches below norm
Canva
#39. Canyon County
– Five-year precipitation average: 9.64 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 9.69 inches (#68 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.14 inches above norm
Canva
#38. Twin Falls County
– Five-year precipitation average: 10.76 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 10.03 inches (#26 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.50 inches below norm
Canva
#37. Owyhee County
– Five-year precipitation average: 11.59 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 11.33 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.24 inches below norm
davidrh // Shutterstock
#36. Butte County
– Five-year precipitation average: 11.82 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 12.86 inches (#65 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.72 inches below norm
Charles Knowles // Shutterstock
#35. Ada County
– Five-year precipitation average: 12.21 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 12.20 inches (#67 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.13 inches below norm
Canva
#34. Payette County
– Five-year precipitation average: 12.25 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 11.74 inches (#46 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.06 inches below norm
Tucker James // Shutterstock
#33. Bingham County
– Five-year precipitation average: 13.26 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 13.92 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.42 inches above norm
Canva
#32. Cassia County
– Five-year precipitation average: 14.88 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 15.07 inches (#64 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.45 inches below norm
David Gilder // Shutterstock
#31. Clark County
– Five-year precipitation average: 15.12 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 15.57 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.54 inches below norm
Canva
#30. Madison County
– Five-year precipitation average: 15.23 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 13.76 inches (#52 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.07 inches below norm
Canva
#29. Power County
– Five-year precipitation average: 15.61 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 17.89 inches (#97 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.97 inches above norm
Canva
#28. Blaine County
– Five-year precipitation average: 15.91 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 17.42 inches (#54 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.39 inches below norm
Canva
#27. Oneida County
– Five-year precipitation average: 16.18 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 19.34 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.81 inches above norm
Canva
#26. Bannock County
– Five-year precipitation average: 17.30 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 19.82 inches (#79 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.31 inches above norm
Canva
#25. Elmore County
– Five-year precipitation average: 17.97 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 18.44 inches (#48 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.74 inches below norm
MKStyle // Shutterstock
#24. Gem County
– Five-year precipitation average: 17.97 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 18.60 inches (#63 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.20 inches below norm
Canva
#23. Lemhi County
– Five-year precipitation average: 18.30 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 17.92 inches (#30 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.25 inches below norm
Canva
#22. Camas County
– Five-year precipitation average: 19.41 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 19.69 inches (#28 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.71 inches below norm
Canva
#21. Washington County
– Five-year precipitation average: 19.43 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 18.31 inches (#32 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -2.34 inches below norm
Canva
#20. Custer County
– Five-year precipitation average: 20.10 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 21.47 inches (#61 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -1.11 inches below norm
Canva
#19. Fremont County
– Five-year precipitation average: 21.07 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 21.90 inches (#73 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.23 inches above norm
Canva
#18. Franklin County
– Five-year precipitation average: 21.23 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 24.23 inches (#81 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.18 inches above norm
Canva
#17. Bear Lake County
– Five-year precipitation average: 21.48 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 24.14 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.71 inches above norm
Canva
#16. Bonneville County
– Five-year precipitation average: 21.55 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 21.75 inches (#82 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.42 inches above norm
Canva
#15. Caribou County
– Five-year precipitation average: 22.18 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 23.90 inches (#89 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 1.49 inches above norm
Canva
#14. Nez Perce County
– Five-year precipitation average: 22.57 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 25.48 inches (#107 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.52 inches above norm
Canva
#13. Teton County
– Five-year precipitation average: 24.35 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 23.01 inches (#72 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.29 inches above norm
melissamn // Shutterstock
#12. Lewis County
– Five-year precipitation average: 25.54 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 27.50 inches (#96 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 2.04 inches above norm
Canva
#11. Boise County
– Five-year precipitation average: 28.01 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 30.50 inches (#70 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.07 inches below norm
Norm Lane // Shutterstock
#10. Benewah County
– Five-year precipitation average: 28.13 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 31.49 inches (#66 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 0.11 inches above norm
Canva
#9. Adams County
– Five-year precipitation average: 28.15 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 26.86 inches (#25 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.62 inches below norm
Canva
#8. Kootenai County
– Five-year precipitation average: 28.93 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 32.02 inches (#62 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -0.31 inches below norm
Danita Delimont // Shutterstock
#7. Latah County
– Five-year precipitation average: 29.88 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 33.69 inches (#94 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: 3.10 inches above norm
Canva
#6. Valley County
– Five-year precipitation average: 30.35 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 30.48 inches (#23 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -5.69 inches below norm
Canva
#5. Bonner County
– Five-year precipitation average: 31.51 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 32.80 inches (#34 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.11 inches below norm
Canva
#4. Boundary County
– Five-year precipitation average: 34.53 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 34.85 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.23 inches below norm
Canva
#3. Idaho County
– Five-year precipitation average: 35.54 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 34.03 inches (#41 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.51 inches below norm
Canva
#2. Clearwater County
– Five-year precipitation average: 41.60 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 41.91 inches (#34 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -4.88 inches below norm
jfergusonphotos // Shutterstock
#1. Shoshone County
– Five-year precipitation average: 41.93 inches
– Precipitation over the past year: 43.91 inches (#45 rainiest year since 1895)
– Precipitation compared to 1901-2000 average: -3.62 inches below norm
