Parts of Hawaii and Alaska are among the rainiest places in the United States. Yakutat, in southeastern Alaska, receives just over 160 inches of rain annually. Annette Island, part of the Alexander Archipelago, is also in southeastern Alaska and has about 100 inches of rain annually. By contrast, Juneau receives about 58 inches annually, and Fairbanks, a mere 10 inches. Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, gets about 126 inches of rain annually, while Honolulu, on Oahu, receives only about 18 inches annually.
The Pacific Northwest of the United States is well-known for rainy weather, and the area near the Quillayute River in northwestern Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, receives about 101 inches of rain annually. The area includes La Push and Forks, places made famous in Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" books. Spokane, in the eastern part of Washington state, is much less wet, with fewer than 17 inches of rainfall annually. Astoria, in the northwestern corner of Oregon, receives about 64 inches of annual rainfall, whereas Portland gets about 37 inches. California is a relatively dry state, with San Francisco getting about 22 inches annually and Los Angeles about 15 inches.
The southern states of Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and even Texas contain some of the wettest places in the continental United States. Mobile, Alabama, gets about 67 inches of rain annually. Pensacola, Miami and Tallahassee, Florida, range from 61 to 65 inches of rain annually. The Florida Everglades alternates between wet and dry seasons; the Water Encyclopedia notes that the amount of rain can vary dramatically from year to year, but the annual average is 54 inches. Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, average 62 inches of rain annually. Port Arthur, on the central eastern border of Texas, receives about 61 inches annually, although many parts of Texas are much drier.
Rainfall in the eastern United States is fairly consistent all along the coast, with averages from a low of about 30 inches to a high of about 50 inches for states from Maine to Georgia. One notable exception is Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, with more than 100 inches of rainfall annually.
The driest states generally are those of the Midwest, Rocky Mountains and southwestern United States. Indiana and Illinois receive rainfall totals in the range of 30 to 45 inches; while Michigan and Minnesota are slightly lower, and Montana and the Dakotas lower still. As expected, the southwestern states are the driest of all, with Yuma, Arizona, receiving only 3 inches of rain annually and Albuquerque, New Mexico, just over 9 inches annually.
