Data / Rankings / Annual precipitation / Counties in California

Counties in California by annual precipitation

Del Norte County had the highest annual precipitation of 58 counties in 2014, at 67.16 inches. Imperial County had the lowest, at 2.06 inches. The median was 21.83 inches and the figure for California was 19.9 inches. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Highest67.16Del Norte County
Lowest2.06Imperial County
Median21.8358 counties
California19.9History

Map of counties, 2014

Alameda County: 19.88 inchesAlpine County: 29.38 inchesAmador County: 31.29 inchesButte County: 43.72 inchesCalaveras County: 29.56 inchesColusa County: 28.67 inchesContra Costa County: 21.07 inchesDel Norte County: 67.16 inchesEl Dorado County: 39.91 inchesFresno County: 12.44 inchesGlenn County: 31.68 inchesHumboldt County: 54.59 inchesImperial County: 2.06 inchesInyo County: 4.68 inchesKern County: 6.17 inchesKings County: 6.15 inchesLake County: 48.5 inchesLassen County: 20.3 inchesLos Angeles County: 10.32 inchesMadera County: 13.96 inchesMarin County: 40.24 inchesMariposa County: 19.44 inchesMendocino County: 55.43 inchesMerced County: 10.12 inchesModoc County: 18.21 inchesMono County: 10.68 inchesMonterey County: 19.93 inchesNapa County: 33.28 inchesNevada County: 48.42 inchesOrange County: 7.63 inchesPlacer County: 42.03 inchesPlumas County: 39.05 inchesRiverside County: 5.23 inchesSacramento County: 18.89 inchesSan Benito County: 15.71 inchesSan Bernardino County: 4.82 inchesSan Diego County: 8.07 inchesSan Francisco County: 28.74 inchesSan Joaquin County: 14.4 inchesSan Luis Obispo County: 12.18 inchesSan Mateo County: 28.55 inchesSanta Barbara County: 13.21 inchesSanta Clara County: 24.39 inchesSanta Cruz County: 33.51 inchesShasta County: 44.52 inchesSierra County: 41.88 inchesSiskiyou County: 36.62 inchesSolano County: 22.04 inchesSonoma County: 44.19 inchesStanislaus County: 14.42 inchesSutter County: 20.03 inchesTehama County: 42.34 inchesTrinity County: 55.3 inchesTulare County: 14.47 inchesTuolumne County: 30.42 inchesVentura County: 14.86 inchesYolo County: 21.62 inchesYuba County: 38.61 inches
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inches, 2014. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2014

Del Norte County: 67.16 inchesDel Norte County67.16Mendocino County: 55.43 inchesMendocino County55.43Trinity County: 55.3 inchesTrinity County55.3Humboldt County: 54.59 inchesHumboldt County54.59Lake County: 48.5 inchesLake County48.5Nevada County: 48.42 inchesNevada County48.42Shasta County: 44.52 inchesShasta County44.52Sonoma County: 44.19 inchesSonoma County44.19Butte County: 43.72 inchesButte County43.72Tehama County: 42.34 inchesTehama County42.34Placer County: 42.03 inchesPlacer County42.03Sierra County: 41.88 inchesSierra County41.88Marin County: 40.24 inchesMarin County40.24El Dorado County: 39.91 inchesEl Dorado County39.91Plumas County: 39.05 inchesPlumas County39.05Yuba County: 38.61 inchesYuba County38.61Siskiyou County: 36.62 inchesSiskiyou County36.62Santa Cruz County: 33.51 inchesSanta Cruz County33.51Napa County: 33.28 inchesNapa County33.28Glenn County: 31.68 inchesGlenn County31.68Amador County: 31.29 inchesAmador County31.29Tuolumne County: 30.42 inchesTuolumne County30.42Calaveras County: 29.56 inchesCalaveras County29.56Alpine County: 29.38 inchesAlpine County29.38San Francisco County: 28.74 inchesSan Francisco County28.74Colusa County: 28.67 inchesColusa County28.67San Mateo County: 28.55 inchesSan Mateo County28.55Santa Clara County: 24.39 inchesSanta Clara County24.39Solano County: 22.04 inchesSolano County22.04Yolo County: 21.62 inchesYolo County21.62Contra Costa County: 21.07 inchesContra Costa County21.07Lassen County: 20.3 inchesLassen County20.3Sutter County: 20.03 inchesSutter County20.03Monterey County: 19.93 inchesMonterey County19.93Alameda County: 19.88 inchesAlameda County19.88Mariposa County: 19.44 inchesMariposa County19.44Sacramento County: 18.89 inchesSacramento County18.89Modoc County: 18.21 inchesModoc County18.21San Benito County: 15.71 inchesSan Benito County15.71Ventura County: 14.86 inchesVentura County14.86Tulare County: 14.47 inchesTulare County14.47Stanislaus County: 14.42 inchesStanislaus County14.42San Joaquin County: 14.4 inchesSan Joaquin County14.4Madera County: 13.96 inchesMadera County13.96Santa Barbara County: 13.21 inchesSanta Barbara County13.21Fresno County: 12.44 inchesFresno County12.44San Luis Obispo County: 12.18 inchesSan Luis Obispo County12.18Mono County: 10.68 inchesMono County10.68Los Angeles County: 10.32 inchesLos Angeles County10.32Merced County: 10.12 inchesMerced County10.12San Diego County: 8.07 inchesSan Diego County8.07Orange County: 7.63 inchesOrange County7.63Kern County: 6.17 inchesKern County6.17Kings County: 6.15 inchesKings County6.15Riverside County: 5.23 inchesRiverside County5.23San Bernardino County: 4.82 inchesSan Bernardino County4.82Inyo County: 4.68 inchesInyo County4.68Imperial County: 2.06 inchesImperial County2.06Del Norte County: 67.16 inchesDel Norte County67.16Mendocino County: 55.43 inchesMendocino County55.43Trinity County: 55.3 inchesTrinity County55.3Humboldt County: 54.59 inchesHumboldt County54.59Lake County: 48.5 inchesLake County48.5Nevada County: 48.42 inchesNevada County48.42Shasta County: 44.52 inchesShasta County44.52Sonoma County: 44.19 inchesSonoma County44.19Butte County: 43.72 inchesButte County43.72Tehama County: 42.34 inchesTehama County42.34Placer County: 42.03 inchesPlacer County42.03Sierra County: 41.88 inchesSierra County41.88Marin County: 40.24 inchesMarin County40.24El Dorado County: 39.91 inchesEl Dorado County39.91Plumas County: 39.05 inchesPlumas County39.05Yuba County: 38.61 inchesYuba County38.61Siskiyou County: 36.62 inchesSiskiyou County36.62Santa Cruz County: 33.51 inchesSanta Cruz County33.51Napa County: 33.28 inchesNapa County33.28Glenn County: 31.68 inchesGlenn County31.68Amador County: 31.29 inchesAmador County31.29Tuolumne County: 30.42 inchesTuolumne County30.42Calaveras County: 29.56 inchesCalaveras County29.56Alpine County: 29.38 inchesAlpine County29.38San Francisco County: 28.74 inchesSan Francisco County28.74Colusa County: 28.67 inchesColusa County28.67San Mateo County: 28.55 inchesSan Mateo County28.55Santa Clara County: 24.39 inchesSanta Clara County24.39Solano County: 22.04 inchesSolano County22.04Yolo County: 21.62 inchesYolo County21.62Contra Costa County: 21.07 inchesContra Costa County21.07Lassen County: 20.3 inchesLassen County20.3Sutter County: 20.03 inchesSutter County20.03Monterey County: 19.93 inchesMonterey County19.93Alameda County: 19.88 inchesAlameda County19.88Mariposa County: 19.44 inchesMariposa County19.44Sacramento County: 18.89 inchesSacramento County18.89Modoc County: 18.21 inchesModoc County18.21San Benito County: 15.71 inchesSan Benito County15.71Ventura County: 14.86 inchesVentura County14.86Tulare County: 14.47 inchesTulare County14.47Stanislaus County: 14.42 inchesStanislaus County14.42San Joaquin County: 14.4 inchesSan Joaquin County14.4Madera County: 13.96 inchesMadera County13.96Santa Barbara County: 13.21 inchesSanta Barbara County13.21Fresno County: 12.44 inchesFresno County12.44San Luis Obispo County: 12.18 inchesSan Luis Obispo County12.18Mono County: 10.68 inchesMono County10.68Los Angeles County: 10.32 inchesLos Angeles County10.32Merced County: 10.12 inchesMerced County10.12San Diego County: 8.07 inchesSan Diego County8.07Orange County: 7.63 inchesOrange County7.63Kern County: 6.17 inchesKern County6.17Kings County: 6.15 inchesKings County6.15Riverside County: 5.23 inchesRiverside County5.23San Bernardino County: 4.82 inchesSan Bernardino County4.82Inyo County: 4.68 inchesInyo County4.68Imperial County: 2.06 inchesImperial County2.06
inches. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
inches		Change on 2013
1Del Norte County67.16+91.9%
2Mendocino County55.43+257.6%
3Trinity County55.3+189.4%
4Humboldt County54.59+156.3%
5Lake County48.5+292.7%
6Nevada County48.42+211.2%
7Shasta County44.52+201.4%
8Sonoma County44.19+336.7%
9Butte County43.72+258.7%
10Tehama County42.34+270.8%
11Placer County42.03+187.9%
12Sierra County41.88+208.6%
13Marin County40.24+379%
14El Dorado County39.91+148.5%
15Plumas County39.05+223.8%
16Yuba County38.61+246.3%
17Siskiyou County36.62+127.2%
18Santa Cruz County33.51+452.1%
19Napa County33.28+395.2%
20Glenn County31.68+317.4%
21Amador County31.29+155.4%
22Tuolumne County30.42+140.7%
23Calaveras County29.56+165.4%
24Alpine County29.38+116.8%
25San Francisco County28.74+362.8%
26Colusa County28.67+248.8%
27San Mateo County28.55+361.2%
28Santa Clara County24.39+376.4%
29Solano County22.04+332.2%
30Yolo County21.62+273.4%
31Contra Costa County21.07+299.8%
32Lassen County20.3+137.4%
33Sutter County20.03+204.9%
34Monterey County19.93+376.8%
35Alameda County19.88+291.3%
36Mariposa County19.44+107%
37Sacramento County18.89+194.7%
38Modoc County18.21+68.5%
39San Benito County15.71+345%
40Ventura County14.86+201.4%
41Tulare County14.47+110.6%
42Stanislaus County14.42+230%
43San Joaquin County14.4+184.6%
44Madera County13.96+110.2%
45Santa Barbara County13.21+235.3%
46Fresno County12.44+135.2%
47San Luis Obispo County12.18+290.4%
48Mono County10.68+75.7%
49Los Angeles County10.32+108.5%
50Merced County10.12+189.1%
51San Diego County8.07+2.7%
52Orange County7.63+81.2%
53Kern County6.17+71.4%
54Kings County6.15+159.5%
55Riverside County5.23+7.4%
56San Bernardino County4.82+10.3%
57Inyo County4.68+33%
58Imperial County2.06-42.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total precipitation from January to December, in inches: rain plus the water content of snow and other frozen precipitation. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, not the reading at one weather station. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties (Counties in California by annual precipitation, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties, Counties in California by annual precipitation, 2014. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/california-counties?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Counties in California by annual precipitation, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/california-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties, Counties in California by annual precipitation, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/california-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_california_by_2014,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties: Counties in California by annual precipitation, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/california-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties: Counties in California by annual precipitation, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/california-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/california-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in California by annual precipitation using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest annual precipitation?

Del Norte County, with 67.16 inches in 2014, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest annual precipitation?

Imperial County, with 2.06 inches in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Annual precipitation: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings