ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida is a slam dunk for rain during its wet season from late May to late October. Florida is unique in that there is no one part of the state far from the ocean. This sets the stage for plentiful moisture to be available for storms to work with.
Another reason Florida is so wet is the sea breeze. In the summer and early fall, daily afternoon storms are triggered by the sea breeze phenomenon which allows the daily rainfall to really add up.
The sea breeze also helps make Florida the lightning capital of the U.S.
Being in a prime position to be impacted by tropical systems also helps to make Florida one of the wettest states in the country.
According to USA.com, Florida comes in as the fourth wettest state, picking up nearly 55 inches of rain on average.
The top three states on the list are in a similar spot to Florida. The deep tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico allow for routine afternoon thunderstorms. Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are also extremely vulnerable to landfalling tropical systems which increase their yearly average rainfall.
Louisiana is the wettest state in the U.S., picking up nearly 60 inches of rain on average, according to the report.
Hawaii is also one of the wettest states in the U.S.
Located deep in the tropical Pacific, the trade winds supply moist air to the islands. Hawaii’s mountainous terrain then lift that air creating heavy rain. The northeast sides of the Hawaiian islands are some of the wettest spots on the planet.
Conversely, the southwest side of the islands are some of the driest due to the mountains as well. When air sinks, it warms and dries out creating a rain shadow on the lee side of the mountains. This is why most of the resorts are on the southern side of the islands.
For example, Hilo on the northern side of the Big Island receives on average 120.39 inches of rain. Meanwhile, Kona, on the western side of the island picks up less than 10 inches on average.
USA.com only ranks locations with average precipitation data, which is why Hawaii isn’t the top spot on this list. Hawaii typically is the wettest U.S. state due to the reasons mentioned above.
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