Wettest Weather

Cities in the United States that receive the most precipitation each year don't necessarily have an exceptionally high number of rainy days.

Among the country's 51 largest urban populations, Buffalo, and Rochester New York most often have days when it's raining or snowing.

The two cities each average 167 wet days a year. But Buffalo ranks 26th in the total precipitation it receives annually, with 40.5 inches (1028 millimetres). Rochester gets even less rain and snow. At 34.3 inches (870 mm) of precipitation a year, Rochester ranks 37th among major US cities for highest annual precipitation.

New Orleans, on the other hand, where it usually rains over five feet a year, receives more precipitation than any big city in the USA. Yet it has far fewer wet days than many other cities. New Orleans ranks just 26th among large US cities in the number of days with precipitation, at 115 days a year.

The major cities included in the weather rankings represent the 51 metropolitan areas in the United States with the biggest populations, all those with over one million people in 2010, according to the US Census Bureau. A complete list of America's 51 largest urban centers is available here.

The precipitation totals are averages based on weather data collected from 1981 to 2010 for the NOAA National Climatic Data Center.

Major US cities that get over 45 inches (1143 millimetres) of precipitation a year City Annual Precipitation Inches Millimetres New Orleans, Louisiana 62.7 1592 Miami, Florida 61.9 1572 Birmingham, Alabama 53.7 1364 Memphis, Tennessee 53.7 1363 Jacksonville, Florida 52.4 1331 Orlando, Florida 50.7 1289 New York, New York 49.9 1268 Houston, Texas 49.8 1264 Atlanta, Georgia 49.7 1263 Nashville, Tennessee 47.3 1200 Providence, Rhode Island 47.2 1198 Virginia Beach, Virginia 46.5 1182 Tampa, Florida 46.3 1176 Raleigh, North Carolina 46.0 1169 Hartford, Connecticut 45.9 1165

Most Rainy Days