Dear Tom,
I moved from Chicago to Columbus, Ohio, and it rains a ridiculous amount here — seemingly every day, ranging from 10 minutes to all day long. Why does Columbus get so much rain?
— Alycia Pirc
Dear Alycia,
The climate gradually becomes wetter as one travels southeast from Chicago, and Columbus lies 280 miles southeast of here. This implies that Columbus can expect a few more rainy days than Chicago. However, both cities lie within the same climatic zone and both experience approximately the same kinds of weather.
Consider these statistics: Chicago’s annual precipitation is 35 inches; Columbus, 38. Annual days with precipitation: Chicago, 129; Columbus, 137. Annual days with thunderstorms: Chicago, 38; Columbus, 42. Averaged over time, the precipitation regime at both cities is quite similar. If it’s any consolation, Chicago, too, was deluged during May and June.
