Dear Tom,
Where does Illinois rank among the states in annual rainfall? Which is the wettest and which is the driest?
— Karen Samuelson
Dear Karen,
Average precipitation (rain plus the water equivalent of melted snow) across the lower 48 states is about 30 inches per year. If none of it evaporated, soaked in or drained off, a 30-inch layer of water would flood the country after one year.
The nation’s average annual precipitation is not distributed evenly, of course. The land surface of the United States, which ranges from barren deserts to lush rain forests, attests to that. And even within many states, especially those with mountains, precipitation varies greatly.
On average, though, Louisiana, with 55 inches, is our wettest state; Nevada, with a scant 9 inches annually, is the driest. Illinois, with 37 inches, ranks 27th.
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