The wettest cities in America — and the driest
Some U.S. cities see rain nearly half the year. Others barely see rainfall at all. Here are America's wettest and driest cities, according to Redfin
Rainfall is one of those facts about a city that sounds trivial until it isn’t.
Too much rain strains infrastructure, inflates insurance costs, and quietly reshapes housing demand. Too little precipitation forces trade-offs around water, growth, and who gets to stay. Across the U.S., the gap between the wettest and driest cities is vast.
Using real estate firm Redfin’s rankings of cities with the most rainy days and the lowest annual rainfall totals, these 10 locations show just how uneven the country’s climate really is, depending on where you land.
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Wet: Syracuse tops the rainiest cities with frequent wet days
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Syracuse, New York, sits atop the rainiest U.S. cities list because it sees rain or snow nearly half the year, driven by Great Lakes weather systems that make precipitation a constant.
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Wet: Buffalo combines lake-effect moisture with high rainfall frequency
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Buffalo, New York, ranks near the top for rainy days and perennial moisture, where lake-effect systems dump consistent precipitation across seasons.
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Wet: Erie’s lakeside position delivers persistent rain and snow
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Situated on Lake Erie’s southern shore, Erie, Pennsylvania gets heavy precipitation through year-round storms amplified by its proximity to open water.
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Wet: Portland’s Pacific rain pattern keeps precipitation regular
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Portland, Oregon sees frequent rainfall from Pacific systems, making it one of the wettest major cities outside the Great Lakes region.
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Wet: Grand Rapids blends lake influence with frequent rain days
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Grand Rapids, Michigan rounds out the wetter cities with steady precipitation linked to nearby Lake Michigan and regional storm tracks.
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Dry: Yuma is America’s driest city with barely any annual rain
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In Yuma, Arizona, average annual precipitation is just a few inches, making it the driest U.S. city among major metro areas.
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Dry: Lake Havasu City’s desert climate yields almost no rain
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Lake Havasu City, Arizona, sees scant annual rainfall under its intense desert sun, putting it firmly among the driest U.S. cities.
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Dry: Las Vegas persists in the Mojave with minimal precipitation
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Las Vegas, Nevada, gets only a few inches of rain each year under its desert skies, exemplifying extreme aridity.
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Dry: Bakersfield’s Central Valley location keeps rainfall low
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Bakersfield, California, receives very little rain annually, as its geography and regional climate inhibit moisture entry.
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Dry: Phoenix combines heat with low rain totals
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Phoenix, Arizona has low annual precipitation despite seasonal monsoons, with long dry stretches defining its climate.