Which US states are getting wetter or drier?

From 2016 to 2025 most of the East and Midwest got wetter and the Southwest drier than in 1901–2000: Kentucky got 14.7% more rain and melted snow a year, while Arizona got 12.8% less and New Mexico 10.9% less. The contiguous US got 4.5% more. Ten years is short for rainfall, so a few very wet or dry years move a state a lot. Hawaii's records start in 1991, so it isn't included.

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Bars are sorted from highest to lowest and start at zero; each one's value is at its end. The dashed line is “Contiguous U.S.”, for comparison. On a phone it opens on the top and bottom 10; tap “Show all” for the rest.

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Key facts

Measure: Percent change in yearly precipitation, last 10 years vs. the 1901–2000 average. Written from the data below.

  • Kentucky has the highest figure, 14.7%, followed by Michigan (13.7%) and Wisconsin (13.6%).
  • Arizona has the lowest figure, -12.8%, followed by New Mexico (-10.9%) and Utah (-7.3%).
  • Contiguous U.S.: 4.5%. Of the 49 compared, 31 are above it and 18 below.

Source and date

Source
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance
License
Public domain (U.S. government work)
Data as of
Published

Citation

Chartly. “Which US states are getting wetter or drier?” Chart. Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series (data as of December 31, 2025). https://chart.ly/charts/rainfall-change-by-state (accessed October 15, 2026).

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The data

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State Percent change in yearly precipitation, last 10 years vs. the 1901–2000 average
Kentucky 14.7
Michigan 13.7
Wisconsin 13.6
Rhode Island 13.1
Arkansas 11.9
Tennessee 10.8
Virginia 10.5
Pennsylvania 10.3
South Dakota 10
New York 9.8
Ohio 9.6
Oklahoma 9.6
Indiana 9.3
Massachusetts 9
Minnesota 8.8
Louisiana 8.4
Mississippi 8
Vermont 8
New Hampshire 7.5
Illinois 7.3
West Virginia 7.2
Maine 7.1
Iowa 6.6
North Carolina 6.5
Alaska 6.1
Nebraska 5.7
New Jersey 5.5
Alabama 5.2
Missouri 5.2
Kansas 5.1
Connecticut 4.7
Contiguous U.S. 4.5
Maryland 4.4
Delaware 4.1
North Dakota 3.9
South Carolina 3.7
Georgia 2.9
Texas 2.9
Florida 2.2
Washington 0.4
Wyoming 0.2
California -0.4
Montana -0.8
Nevada -1.9
Idaho -2.9
Oregon -4.5
Colorado -6.2
Utah -7.3
New Mexico -10.9
Arizona -12.8

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