Counties in Montana by annual precipitation

Flathead County had the highest annual precipitation of 56 counties in 2016, at 40.41 inches. Carter County had the lowest, at 13.86 inches. The median was 18.9 inches and the figure for Montana was 21.17 inches. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Highest40.41Flathead County
Lowest13.86Carter County
Median18.956 counties
Montana21.17History

Map of counties, 2016

Beaverhead County: 20.04 inchesBig Horn County: 19.15 inchesBlaine County: 22.47 inchesBroadwater County: 16.71 inchesCarbon County: 16.53 inchesCarter County: 13.86 inchesCascade County: 17.77 inchesChouteau County: 18.66 inchesCuster County: 16.11 inchesDaniels County: 19.32 inchesDawson County: 16.23 inchesDeer Lodge County: 19.33 inchesFallon County: 17.34 inchesFergus County: 21.18 inchesFlathead County: 40.41 inchesGallatin County: 23.47 inchesGarfield County: 18.88 inchesGlacier County: 25.34 inchesGolden Valley County: 15.9 inchesGranite County: 20.89 inchesHill County: 18.96 inchesJefferson County: 16.13 inchesJudith Basin County: 20.84 inchesLake County: 27.81 inchesLewis and Clark County: 20.52 inchesLiberty County: 16.33 inchesLincoln County: 36.94 inchesMcCone County: 17.09 inchesMadison County: 22.45 inchesMeagher County: 21.76 inchesMineral County: 38.3 inchesMissoula County: 30.07 inchesMusselshell County: 18.28 inchesPark County: 24.74 inchesPetroleum County: 19.63 inchesPhillips County: 21.38 inchesPondera County: 16.62 inchesPowder River County: 16.29 inchesPowell County: 24.35 inchesPrairie County: 15.77 inchesRavalli County: 26.6 inchesRichland County: 16.11 inchesRoosevelt County: 17.35 inchesRosebud County: 18.49 inchesSanders County: 34.52 inchesSheridan County: 18.16 inchesSilver Bow County: 15.02 inchesStillwater County: 17.36 inchesSweet Grass County: 18.07 inchesTeton County: 16.93 inchesToole County: 14.54 inchesTreasure County: 19.53 inchesValley County: 20.68 inchesWheatland County: 16.04 inchesWibaux County: 18.92 inchesYellowstone County: 16.21 inches
  • Under 16
  • 16 to 17
  • 17 to 19
  • 19 to 21
  • 21 to 24
  • 24 and over
inches, 2016. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2016

Flathead County: 40.41 inchesFlathead County40.41Mineral County: 38.3 inchesMineral County38.3Lincoln County: 36.94 inchesLincoln County36.94Sanders County: 34.52 inchesSanders County34.52Missoula County: 30.07 inchesMissoula County30.07Lake County: 27.81 inchesLake County27.81Ravalli County: 26.6 inchesRavalli County26.6Glacier County: 25.34 inchesGlacier County25.34Park County: 24.74 inchesPark County24.74Powell County: 24.35 inchesPowell County24.35Gallatin County: 23.47 inchesGallatin County23.47Blaine County: 22.47 inchesBlaine County22.47Madison County: 22.45 inchesMadison County22.45Meagher County: 21.76 inchesMeagher County21.76Phillips County: 21.38 inchesPhillips County21.38Fergus County: 21.18 inchesFergus County21.18Granite County: 20.89 inchesGranite County20.89Judith Basin County: 20.84 inchesJudith Basin County20.84Valley County: 20.68 inchesValley County20.68Lewis and Clark County: 20.52 inchesLewis and Clark County20.52Beaverhead County: 20.04 inchesBeaverhead County20.04Petroleum County: 19.63 inchesPetroleum County19.63Treasure County: 19.53 inchesTreasure County19.53Deer Lodge County: 19.33 inchesDeer Lodge County19.33Daniels County: 19.32 inchesDaniels County19.32Big Horn County: 19.15 inchesBig Horn County19.15Hill County: 18.96 inchesHill County18.96Wibaux County: 18.92 inchesWibaux County18.92Garfield County: 18.88 inchesGarfield County18.88Chouteau County: 18.66 inchesChouteau County18.66Rosebud County: 18.49 inchesRosebud County18.49Musselshell County: 18.28 inchesMusselshell County18.28Sheridan County: 18.16 inchesSheridan County18.16Sweet Grass County: 18.07 inchesSweet Grass County18.07Cascade County: 17.77 inchesCascade County17.77Stillwater County: 17.36 inchesStillwater County17.36Roosevelt County: 17.35 inchesRoosevelt County17.35Fallon County: 17.34 inchesFallon County17.34McCone County: 17.09 inchesMcCone County17.09Teton County: 16.93 inchesTeton County16.93Broadwater County: 16.71 inchesBroadwater County16.71Pondera County: 16.62 inchesPondera County16.62Carbon County: 16.53 inchesCarbon County16.53Liberty County: 16.33 inchesLiberty County16.33Powder River County: 16.29 inchesPowder River County16.29Dawson County: 16.23 inchesDawson County16.23Yellowstone County: 16.21 inchesYellowstone County16.21Jefferson County: 16.13 inchesJefferson County16.13Custer County: 16.11 inchesCuster County16.11Richland County: 16.11 inchesRichland County16.11Wheatland County: 16.04 inchesWheatland County16.04Golden Valley County: 15.9 inchesGolden Valley County15.9Prairie County: 15.77 inchesPrairie County15.77Silver Bow County: 15.02 inchesSilver Bow County15.02Toole County: 14.54 inchesToole County14.54Carter County: 13.86 inchesCarter County13.86Flathead County: 40.41 inchesFlathead County40.41Mineral County: 38.3 inchesMineral County38.3Lincoln County: 36.94 inchesLincoln County36.94Sanders County: 34.52 inchesSanders County34.52Missoula County: 30.07 inchesMissoula County30.07Lake County: 27.81 inchesLake County27.81Ravalli County: 26.6 inchesRavalli County26.6Glacier County: 25.34 inchesGlacier County25.34Park County: 24.74 inchesPark County24.74Powell County: 24.35 inchesPowell County24.35Gallatin County: 23.47 inchesGallatin County23.47Blaine County: 22.47 inchesBlaine County22.47Madison County: 22.45 inchesMadison County22.45Meagher County: 21.76 inchesMeagher County21.76Phillips County: 21.38 inchesPhillips County21.38Fergus County: 21.18 inchesFergus County21.18Granite County: 20.89 inchesGranite County20.89Judith Basin County: 20.84 inchesJudith Basin County20.84Valley County: 20.68 inchesValley County20.68Lewis and Clark County: 20.52 inchesLewis and Clark County20.52Beaverhead County: 20.04 inchesBeaverhead County20.04Petroleum County: 19.63 inchesPetroleum County19.63Treasure County: 19.53 inchesTreasure County19.53Deer Lodge County: 19.33 inchesDeer Lodge County19.33Daniels County: 19.32 inchesDaniels County19.32Big Horn County: 19.15 inchesBig Horn County19.15Hill County: 18.96 inchesHill County18.96Wibaux County: 18.92 inchesWibaux County18.92Garfield County: 18.88 inchesGarfield County18.88Chouteau County: 18.66 inchesChouteau County18.66Rosebud County: 18.49 inchesRosebud County18.49Musselshell County: 18.28 inchesMusselshell County18.28Sheridan County: 18.16 inchesSheridan County18.16Sweet Grass County: 18.07 inchesSweet Grass County18.07Cascade County: 17.77 inchesCascade County17.77Stillwater County: 17.36 inchesStillwater County17.36Roosevelt County: 17.35 inchesRoosevelt County17.35Fallon County: 17.34 inchesFallon County17.34McCone County: 17.09 inchesMcCone County17.09Teton County: 16.93 inchesTeton County16.93Broadwater County: 16.71 inchesBroadwater County16.71Pondera County: 16.62 inchesPondera County16.62Carbon County: 16.53 inchesCarbon County16.53Liberty County: 16.33 inchesLiberty County16.33Powder River County: 16.29 inchesPowder River County16.29Dawson County: 16.23 inchesDawson County16.23Yellowstone County: 16.21 inchesYellowstone County16.21Jefferson County: 16.13 inchesJefferson County16.13Custer County: 16.11 inchesCuster County16.11Richland County: 16.11 inchesRichland County16.11Wheatland County: 16.04 inchesWheatland County16.04Golden Valley County: 15.9 inchesGolden Valley County15.9Prairie County: 15.77 inchesPrairie County15.77Silver Bow County: 15.02 inchesSilver Bow County15.02Toole County: 14.54 inchesToole County14.54Carter County: 13.86 inchesCarter County13.86
inches. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
inches
Change on 2015
1Flathead County40.41+46.8%
2Mineral County38.3+20%
3Lincoln County36.94+27.8%
4Sanders County34.52+23.6%
5Missoula County30.07+28.9%
6Lake County27.81+47.2%
7Ravalli County26.6+7.3%
8Glacier County25.34+29.5%
9Park County24.74-0.4%
10Powell County24.35+18.7%
11Gallatin County23.47+3.4%
12Blaine County22.47+65.7%
13Madison County22.45+2%
14Meagher County21.76+16.6%
15Phillips County21.38+58.3%
16Fergus County21.18+30.3%
17Granite County20.89+15.2%
18Judith Basin County20.84+19.6%
19Valley County20.68+44.5%
20Lewis and Clark County20.52+6.1%
21Beaverhead County20.04+1.3%
22Petroleum County19.63+44.2%
23Treasure County19.53+70.9%
24Deer Lodge County19.33+0.9%
25Daniels County19.32+41.2%
26Big Horn County19.15+37.1%
27Hill County18.96+60.7%
28Wibaux County18.92+31%
29Garfield County18.88+38.6%
30Chouteau County18.66+41.9%
31Rosebud County18.49+66.6%
32Musselshell County18.28+43.5%
33Sheridan County18.16+36%
34Sweet Grass County18.07-6.6%
35Cascade County17.77+11.2%
36Stillwater County17.36-3.1%
37Roosevelt County17.35+37.6%
38Fallon County17.34+9.3%
39McCone County17.09+53.7%
40Teton County16.93+22.4%
41Broadwater County16.71+15.1%
42Pondera County16.62+35.9%
43Carbon County16.53-0.9%
44Liberty County16.33+47.8%
45Powder River County16.29+9.7%
46Dawson County16.23+42.5%
47Yellowstone County16.21+24.1%
48Jefferson County16.13-4.8%
49Custer County16.11+39.6%
49Richland County16.11+23.5%
51Wheatland County16.04-3.2%
52Golden Valley County15.9+3.2%
53Prairie County15.77+29.9%
54Silver Bow County15.02-12%
55Toole County14.54+30.4%
56Carter County13.86-19.1%

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 Montana by annual precipitation, 2016) [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 Montana by annual precipitation, 2016. 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/montana-counties?period=2016. 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 Montana by annual precipitation, 2016. 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/montana-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties, Counties in Montana by annual precipitation, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/montana-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_montana_by_2016,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties: Counties in Montana by annual precipitation, 2016}},
  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/montana-counties?period=2016. 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 Montana by annual precipitation, 2016
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/montana-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/montana-counties?period=2016.
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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Questions

Which county has the highest annual precipitation?

Flathead County, with 40.41 inches in 2016, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest annual precipitation?

Carter County, with 13.86 inches in 2016.

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 Montana: more rankings