You probably think it’s Seattle. Everyone does. People picture a guy in a flannel shirt holding a soggy latte while standing under a grey sky that never ends. It’s a vibe. But honestly? Seattle isn't even in the top ten. Not even close. If we’re talking about the rainiest city in United States rankings, the Pacific Northwest is actually kind of a lightweight compared to the absolute deluges hitting the Gulf Coast and the strange, sodden corners of Alaska.
Rain is tricky. You have to ask yourself: are we talking about the total number of inches that fall from the sky, or are we talking about how many days you actually have to carry an umbrella? There’s a massive difference. One city might get hit by a massive hurricane that drops ten inches in a weekend and then stays sunny for a month. Another might have a constant, depressing mist for 200 days a year but barely fill a bucket.
The Heavyweights of the Gulf Coast
If you want sheer volume—the kind of rain that turns a street into a river in twenty minutes—you have to look south. Mobile, Alabama, consistently takes the crown for the wettest city in the contiguous 48 states. It’s not even a fair fight. Mobile averages about 67 inches of rain a year. That is a staggering amount of water.
Why? It’s basically geography. You’ve got the warm, moist air coming off the Gulf of Mexico, and when that hits the slightly cooler land air, the sky just opens up. It’s loud, it’s aggressive, and it’s usually over in an hour, leaving everything smelling like wet pavement and humid dirt. New Orleans is right behind it. The Big Easy deals with about 62 inches.
These southern cities aren't "gloomy" in the traditional sense. They are sunny, then they are underwater, and then they are sunny again. It’s a different kind of relationship with water than what you find in the north. In places like Pensacola or Gulfport, rain isn't a season; it's a daily scheduled event in the summer.
The Alaskan Outlier No One Talks About
But wait. If we expand the search to the entire country, including the non-contiguous states, the leaderboard changes completely. This is where things get wild. Ketchikan, Alaska, is a place most people couldn't find on a map without a struggle, yet it is arguably the rainiest city in United States territory by a landslide.
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Ketchikan gets over 140 inches of rain a year. Read that again. One hundred and forty.
That is more than double what Mobile gets. It’s a temperate rainforest. In Ketchikan, "liquid sunshine" isn't a cute phrase; it's a survival reality. The city is tucked against the mountains of the Inside Passage, which trap moisture-laden air coming off the Pacific. It hits the mountains, rises, cools, and dumps. It’s a constant cycle. If you live there, you don't own "rain gear." You own a lifestyle that happens to be waterproof.
The "Days of Rain" Metric: Where Seattle Actually Wins
Now, if your definition of "rainiest" is "how often do I get wet?" then the map shifts toward the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest. This is where the "Seattle is rainy" myth actually has some roots, even if it's statistically misunderstood.
- Hilo, Hawaii: This is the undisputed champ of frequency. Hilo sees measurable precipitation on about 270 days a year. It’s basically raining right now. It gets about 130 inches annually, making it a rival to Ketchikan for the top spot, but with much better weather for wearing shorts.
- Mt. Washington, New Hampshire: Not a city, sure, but worth mentioning because it’s one of the wettest spots in the East.
- Buffalo and Rochester: These cities get "rain" in the form of lake-effect snow, but even their liquid precipitation days are sky-high because of the moisture coming off Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Seattle and Portland actually have very "dry" summers. They go months without a drop. But from October to May, it’s a constant, grey, light drizzle. It’s "small" rain. It doesn't add up to many inches—Seattle only gets about 37 to 39 inches a year, which is less than Miami or New York City—but it happens so often that it feels like you're living inside a damp sponge.
Why the Misconception Persists
We associate rain with mood, not just math.
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New York City actually gets more rain (about 47 inches) than Seattle. So does Boston. So does Atlanta. But because those cities have clear "storm" events followed by blue skies, we don't think of them as rainy. We think of them as having "weather." Seattle is a "climate."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps the receipts on this. Their data shows that while the Southeast has the highest volume of rainfall, the Northeast and Northwest have the most frequent cloud cover. If you’re planning a move and you hate the rain, don't just look at the inches. Look at the "percentage of possible sunshine." That’s the stat that actually predicts seasonal depression.
Surviving the Wettest Spots
If you find yourself in Mobile or Ketchikan, you learn quickly that a cheap umbrella is a joke. Real rain—the kind that defines the rainiest city in United States rankings—will turn a $10 drugstore umbrella inside out in four seconds.
People in Hilo or Mobile mostly just accept that they’re going to be damp. The infrastructure is built for it. Huge storm drains, raised houses, and an incredible amount of greenery. The upside to all that rain? The vegetation. The Gulf Coast is neon green. Alaska’s panhandle is a lush, mossy wonderland. Hawaii is... well, Hawaii.
The real "rainy" losers are the cities that get just enough rain to be annoying but not enough to be beautiful. Think of those grey, slushy midwestern winters where it’s 34 degrees and drizzling. That’s arguably worse than a tropical deluge in Alabama.
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Understanding the Orographic Effect
A lot of this comes down to something called the orographic effect. It’s a fancy way of saying "mountains force air to dump water." This is why a city like Quillayute, Washington, gets over 100 inches of rain while parts of central Washington—just a few hours away—are basically deserts.
The air comes off the ocean, hits the Olympic Mountains, and it has to go somewhere. As it rises, it cools. Cold air can't hold as much moisture as warm air. So, it drops it. All of it. Right on top of whoever is standing there. This creates these hyper-local pockets of extreme wetness that don't represent the rest of the state.
Actionable Takeaways for Travelers and Movers
If you're looking to visit or move to one of these watery capitals, don't rely on the "annual average" alone. Break it down by what actually affects your life.
- Check the "Rain Days" vs "Total Inches": If you want sun but don't mind a 30-minute afternoon thunderstorm, the Gulf Coast (Mobile, New Orleans) is fine. If you can't stand 40 days of grey skies, avoid the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes.
- Invest in "Hard Shell" Gear: If you're headed to Ketchikan or Hilo, "water-resistant" is a lie. You need GORE-TEX or heavy-duty rubberized rain slickers.
- Humidity Matters: 60 inches of rain in a hot climate (Alabama) feels very different than 60 inches in a cold climate (Alaska). In the South, that water evaporates and stays in the air, making it feel like you're breathing through a warm, wet washcloth.
- Timing is Everything: Many of these "rainiest" cities have distinct dry seasons. Even the wettest places in Hawaii or the Pacific Northwest have windows—usually July and August—where the weather is arguably the best in the country.
Knowing the rainiest city in United States isn't just a trivia point. It’s about understanding the geography of the country. From the tropical moisture of the south to the mountain-trapped clouds of the north, the U.S. is a lot soggier than the postcards usually show. Whether you're chasing the greenest landscapes or trying to escape the gloom, the data tells a much more interesting story than the old Seattle stereotypes ever did.
Next Steps for Your Research
To get a truly granular look at your specific destination, check the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). They provide localized "Climate Normals" that show rainfall patterns down to the square mile. If you're planning a move, look specifically for the "Heating Degree Days" and "Cloud Cover" stats, as these often impact your quality of life more than the actual rain gauge readings. For travelers, the Western Regional Climate Center offers excellent historical breakdowns for those tricky Alaskan and Hawaiian micro-climates that standard weather apps often miss.