Counties in Montana by annual precipitation

Mineral County had the highest annual precipitation of 56 counties in 2020, at 39.29 inches. Richland County had the lowest, at 9.06 inches. The median was 14.32 inches and the figure for Montana was 16.89 inches. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Highest39.29Mineral County
Lowest9.06Richland County
Median14.3256 counties
Montana16.89History

Map of counties, 2020

Beaverhead County: 17.97 inchesBig Horn County: 12.23 inchesBlaine County: 12.56 inchesBroadwater County: 12.87 inchesCarbon County: 15.86 inchesCarter County: 10.83 inchesCascade County: 15.3 inchesChouteau County: 12.89 inchesCuster County: 9.88 inchesDaniels County: 11.05 inchesDawson County: 10.37 inchesDeer Lodge County: 24.55 inchesFallon County: 11.54 inchesFergus County: 14.29 inchesFlathead County: 37.36 inchesGallatin County: 20.97 inchesGarfield County: 11.53 inchesGlacier County: 23.63 inchesGolden Valley County: 15.35 inchesGranite County: 24.46 inchesHill County: 11.15 inchesJefferson County: 15.63 inchesJudith Basin County: 15.9 inchesLake County: 26.32 inchesLewis and Clark County: 21.34 inchesLiberty County: 11.64 inchesLincoln County: 30.82 inchesMcCone County: 11.01 inchesMadison County: 19.05 inchesMeagher County: 18.09 inchesMineral County: 39.29 inchesMissoula County: 32.05 inchesMusselshell County: 13.8 inchesPark County: 24.29 inchesPetroleum County: 12.01 inchesPhillips County: 10.47 inchesPondera County: 16.07 inchesPowder River County: 9.65 inchesPowell County: 27.97 inchesPrairie County: 10.34 inchesRavalli County: 31.02 inchesRichland County: 9.06 inchesRoosevelt County: 9.2 inchesRosebud County: 11.15 inchesSanders County: 32.54 inchesSheridan County: 9.79 inchesSilver Bow County: 16.96 inchesStillwater County: 17.94 inchesSweet Grass County: 17.14 inchesTeton County: 17.08 inchesToole County: 12.21 inchesTreasure County: 12.38 inchesValley County: 10.69 inchesWheatland County: 14.35 inchesWibaux County: 12.07 inchesYellowstone County: 13.17 inches
  • Under 11
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inches, 2020. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2020

Mineral County: 39.29 inchesMineral County39.29Flathead County: 37.36 inchesFlathead County37.36Sanders County: 32.54 inchesSanders County32.54Missoula County: 32.05 inchesMissoula County32.05Ravalli County: 31.02 inchesRavalli County31.02Lincoln County: 30.82 inchesLincoln County30.82Powell County: 27.97 inchesPowell County27.97Lake County: 26.32 inchesLake County26.32Deer Lodge County: 24.55 inchesDeer Lodge County24.55Granite County: 24.46 inchesGranite County24.46Park County: 24.29 inchesPark County24.29Glacier County: 23.63 inchesGlacier County23.63Lewis and Clark County: 21.34 inchesLewis and Clark County21.34Gallatin County: 20.97 inchesGallatin County20.97Madison County: 19.05 inchesMadison County19.05Meagher County: 18.09 inchesMeagher County18.09Beaverhead County: 17.97 inchesBeaverhead County17.97Stillwater County: 17.94 inchesStillwater County17.94Sweet Grass County: 17.14 inchesSweet Grass County17.14Teton County: 17.08 inchesTeton County17.08Silver Bow County: 16.96 inchesSilver Bow County16.96Pondera County: 16.07 inchesPondera County16.07Judith Basin County: 15.9 inchesJudith Basin County15.9Carbon County: 15.86 inchesCarbon County15.86Jefferson County: 15.63 inchesJefferson County15.63Golden Valley County: 15.35 inchesGolden Valley County15.35Cascade County: 15.3 inchesCascade County15.3Wheatland County: 14.35 inchesWheatland County14.35Fergus County: 14.29 inchesFergus County14.29Musselshell County: 13.8 inchesMusselshell County13.8Yellowstone County: 13.17 inchesYellowstone County13.17Chouteau County: 12.89 inchesChouteau County12.89Broadwater County: 12.87 inchesBroadwater County12.87Blaine County: 12.56 inchesBlaine County12.56Treasure County: 12.38 inchesTreasure County12.38Big Horn County: 12.23 inchesBig Horn County12.23Toole County: 12.21 inchesToole County12.21Wibaux County: 12.07 inchesWibaux County12.07Petroleum County: 12.01 inchesPetroleum County12.01Liberty County: 11.64 inchesLiberty County11.64Fallon County: 11.54 inchesFallon County11.54Garfield County: 11.53 inchesGarfield County11.53Hill County: 11.15 inchesHill County11.15Rosebud County: 11.15 inchesRosebud County11.15Daniels County: 11.05 inchesDaniels County11.05McCone County: 11.01 inchesMcCone County11.01Carter County: 10.83 inchesCarter County10.83Valley County: 10.69 inchesValley County10.69Phillips County: 10.47 inchesPhillips County10.47Dawson County: 10.37 inchesDawson County10.37Prairie County: 10.34 inchesPrairie County10.34Custer County: 9.88 inchesCuster County9.88Sheridan County: 9.79 inchesSheridan County9.79Powder River County: 9.65 inchesPowder River County9.65Roosevelt County: 9.2 inchesRoosevelt County9.2Richland County: 9.06 inchesRichland County9.06Mineral County: 39.29 inchesMineral County39.29Flathead County: 37.36 inchesFlathead County37.36Sanders County: 32.54 inchesSanders County32.54Missoula County: 32.05 inchesMissoula County32.05Ravalli County: 31.02 inchesRavalli County31.02Lincoln County: 30.82 inchesLincoln County30.82Powell County: 27.97 inchesPowell County27.97Lake County: 26.32 inchesLake County26.32Deer Lodge County: 24.55 inchesDeer Lodge County24.55Granite County: 24.46 inchesGranite County24.46Park County: 24.29 inchesPark County24.29Glacier County: 23.63 inchesGlacier County23.63Lewis and Clark County: 21.34 inchesLewis and Clark County21.34Gallatin County: 20.97 inchesGallatin County20.97Madison County: 19.05 inchesMadison County19.05Meagher County: 18.09 inchesMeagher County18.09Beaverhead County: 17.97 inchesBeaverhead County17.97Stillwater County: 17.94 inchesStillwater County17.94Sweet Grass County: 17.14 inchesSweet Grass County17.14Teton County: 17.08 inchesTeton County17.08Silver Bow County: 16.96 inchesSilver Bow County16.96Pondera County: 16.07 inchesPondera County16.07Judith Basin County: 15.9 inchesJudith Basin County15.9Carbon County: 15.86 inchesCarbon County15.86Jefferson County: 15.63 inchesJefferson County15.63Golden Valley County: 15.35 inchesGolden Valley County15.35Cascade County: 15.3 inchesCascade County15.3Wheatland County: 14.35 inchesWheatland County14.35Fergus County: 14.29 inchesFergus County14.29Musselshell County: 13.8 inchesMusselshell County13.8Yellowstone County: 13.17 inchesYellowstone County13.17Chouteau County: 12.89 inchesChouteau County12.89Broadwater County: 12.87 inchesBroadwater County12.87Blaine County: 12.56 inchesBlaine County12.56Treasure County: 12.38 inchesTreasure County12.38Big Horn County: 12.23 inchesBig Horn County12.23Toole County: 12.21 inchesToole County12.21Wibaux County: 12.07 inchesWibaux County12.07Petroleum County: 12.01 inchesPetroleum County12.01Liberty County: 11.64 inchesLiberty County11.64Fallon County: 11.54 inchesFallon County11.54Garfield County: 11.53 inchesGarfield County11.53Hill County: 11.15 inchesHill County11.15Rosebud County: 11.15 inchesRosebud County11.15Daniels County: 11.05 inchesDaniels County11.05McCone County: 11.01 inchesMcCone County11.01Carter County: 10.83 inchesCarter County10.83Valley County: 10.69 inchesValley County10.69Phillips County: 10.47 inchesPhillips County10.47Dawson County: 10.37 inchesDawson County10.37Prairie County: 10.34 inchesPrairie County10.34Custer County: 9.88 inchesCuster County9.88Sheridan County: 9.79 inchesSheridan County9.79Powder River County: 9.65 inchesPowder River County9.65Roosevelt County: 9.2 inchesRoosevelt County9.2Richland County: 9.06 inchesRichland County9.06
inches. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
inches
Change on 2019
1Mineral County39.29+23.7%
2Flathead County37.36+15.9%
3Sanders County32.54+17.6%
4Missoula County32.05+10.8%
5Ravalli County31.02+24.7%
6Lincoln County30.82+12.7%
7Powell County27.97-0.4%
8Lake County26.32+8.8%
9Deer Lodge County24.55+16.7%
10Granite County24.46+8.9%
11Park County24.29-15.4%
12Glacier County23.63+2.2%
13Lewis and Clark County21.34-22.3%
14Gallatin County20.97-19.4%
15Madison County19.05-19.2%
16Meagher County18.09-14.7%
17Beaverhead County17.97-7%
18Stillwater County17.94-30.3%
19Sweet Grass County17.14-30.7%
20Teton County17.08-20.1%
21Silver Bow County16.96-13%
22Pondera County16.07-15.9%
23Judith Basin County15.9-29%
24Carbon County15.86-29.9%
25Jefferson County15.63-20.5%
26Golden Valley County15.35-21.9%
27Cascade County15.3-18.9%
28Wheatland County14.35-31.6%
29Fergus County14.29-26.9%
30Musselshell County13.8-28.8%
31Yellowstone County13.17-31.3%
32Chouteau County12.89-13.3%
33Broadwater County12.87-21.9%
34Blaine County12.56-23.8%
35Treasure County12.38-40.8%
36Big Horn County12.23-38.9%
37Toole County12.21-11.1%
38Wibaux County12.07-46.4%
39Petroleum County12.01-33.1%
40Liberty County11.64-11.3%
41Fallon County11.54-46.4%
42Garfield County11.53-41.1%
43Hill County11.15-11.4%
43Rosebud County11.15-47%
45Daniels County11.05-41.8%
46McCone County11.01-43%
47Carter County10.83-56.4%
48Valley County10.69-38.6%
49Phillips County10.47-41.5%
50Dawson County10.37-48.5%
51Prairie County10.34-42.2%
52Custer County9.88-46.8%
53Sheridan County9.79-51%
54Powder River County9.65-57.4%
55Roosevelt County9.2-50.3%
56Richland County9.06-51.9%

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties, Counties in Montana by annual precipitation, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_montana_by_2020,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties: Counties in Montana by annual precipitation, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/montana-counties?period=2020.
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?

Mineral County, with 39.29 inches in 2020, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest annual precipitation?

Richland County, with 9.06 inches in 2020.

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