“Rainiest” can mean two very different things: the most total rainfall, or the most rainy days. They don’t point to the same cities. Using NOAA’s 1991–2020 precipitation normals, here is which big US cities actually get the most rain by the inch.
The answer first
By total annual precipitation, the rainiest major US cities are Miami (~67 in), New Orleans (~63 in) and Memphis (~55 in), with Houston and the central Florida cities close behind. Famously drizzly Seattle gets only about 38 inches a year — it rains often there, but lightly. Heavy totals belong to the Gulf Coast and Southeast, where summer storms are intense.
Rainiest US cities by annual precipitation
| City | Annual precipitation | Wettest month |
|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | ~67 in | June (10.5 in) |
| New Orleans, LA | ~63 in | June (7.6 in) |
| Memphis, TN | ~55 in | March (5.7 in) |
| Houston, TX | ~52 in | June (6.0 in) |
| Orlando, FL | ~52 in | June (8.1 in) |
| Tampa, FL | ~50 in | August (9.0 in) |
| Atlanta, GA | ~51 in | varies |
The live, fully sorted version of this list is on our rainiest US cities ranking; the opposite end is the driest cities ranking.
Why Seattle isn’t on the list
Seattle’s annual total — around 38 inches — is lower than every city in the table above. The reputation is real but misleading: Seattle has a huge number of overcast and drizzly days, especially November through March, but the rain is gentle. The Gulf Coast gets fewer rainy days but far heavier downpours. So if “rainy” means grey and damp, Seattle qualifies; if it means inches, it doesn’t. See the full breakdown on the Seattle city page.
| Seattle | Miami | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | ~38 in | ~67 in |
| Pattern | frequent light rain, many grey days | heavy seasonal storms, sunny dry season |
| Wettest months | Nov–Jan | May–October |
Heavy rain is seasonal
In the rainiest cities, the rain is concentrated. Miami, Orlando and Tampa are soaked from June through September — Miami’s June normal alone is 10.5 inches — but bone-dry from November to April. New Orleans and Houston follow a similar pattern with summer-peaking storms. That means even a “rainy” city can be a great dry-season destination; check the month-by-month table on each city page before you write it off.
Total rain vs the trip you’re planning
If you’re choosing travel dates, total annual rain matters less than the rainfall in your month. Use the packing & comfort tool to check a specific city and month, and read how to read average high and low temperatures to interpret the rest of the table. For the broader picture across all our cities, see US cities by precipitation.
These are NOAA 1991–2020 30-year averages, not forecasts — see what climate normals are.