Counties in Montana by annual precipitation

Mineral County had the highest annual precipitation of 56 counties in 2021, at 35.12 inches. Valley County had the lowest, at 7.21 inches. The median was 10.79 inches and the figure for Montana was 14.31 inches. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest35.12Mineral County
Lowest7.21Valley County
Median10.7956 counties
Montana14.31History

Map of counties, 2021

Beaverhead County: 15.58 inchesBig Horn County: 11.39 inchesBlaine County: 9.21 inchesBroadwater County: 10.81 inchesCarbon County: 12.29 inchesCarter County: 10.76 inchesCascade County: 11.69 inchesChouteau County: 9.44 inchesCuster County: 10.14 inchesDaniels County: 9.45 inchesDawson County: 9.03 inchesDeer Lodge County: 17.32 inchesFallon County: 9.76 inchesFergus County: 10.28 inchesFlathead County: 33.59 inchesGallatin County: 20.88 inchesGarfield County: 7.94 inchesGlacier County: 20.17 inchesGolden Valley County: 9.32 inchesGranite County: 18.99 inchesHill County: 9.05 inchesJefferson County: 11.44 inchesJudith Basin County: 12.48 inchesLake County: 23.04 inchesLewis and Clark County: 17.96 inchesLiberty County: 10.29 inchesLincoln County: 32.03 inchesMcCone County: 7.74 inchesMadison County: 20.39 inchesMeagher County: 14.8 inchesMineral County: 35.12 inchesMissoula County: 27.07 inchesMusselshell County: 9.61 inchesPark County: 21.81 inchesPetroleum County: 8.21 inchesPhillips County: 8.03 inchesPondera County: 12.08 inchesPowder River County: 10.76 inchesPowell County: 22.1 inchesPrairie County: 8.84 inchesRavalli County: 24.32 inchesRichland County: 8.34 inchesRoosevelt County: 8.88 inchesRosebud County: 9.5 inchesSanders County: 30.28 inchesSheridan County: 9.83 inchesSilver Bow County: 12.06 inchesStillwater County: 12.53 inchesSweet Grass County: 13.72 inchesTeton County: 13.01 inchesToole County: 9.84 inchesTreasure County: 10.51 inchesValley County: 7.21 inchesWheatland County: 10.17 inchesWibaux County: 9.93 inchesYellowstone County: 10.5 inches
  • Under 9.1
  • 9.1 to 9.9
  • 9.9 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 to 21
  • 21 and over
inches, 2021. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Mineral County: 35.12 inchesMineral County35.12Flathead County: 33.59 inchesFlathead County33.59Lincoln County: 32.03 inchesLincoln County32.03Sanders County: 30.28 inchesSanders County30.28Missoula County: 27.07 inchesMissoula County27.07Ravalli County: 24.32 inchesRavalli County24.32Lake County: 23.04 inchesLake County23.04Powell County: 22.1 inchesPowell County22.1Park County: 21.81 inchesPark County21.81Gallatin County: 20.88 inchesGallatin County20.88Madison County: 20.39 inchesMadison County20.39Glacier County: 20.17 inchesGlacier County20.17Granite County: 18.99 inchesGranite County18.99Lewis and Clark County: 17.96 inchesLewis and Clark County17.96Deer Lodge County: 17.32 inchesDeer Lodge County17.32Beaverhead County: 15.58 inchesBeaverhead County15.58Meagher County: 14.8 inchesMeagher County14.8Sweet Grass County: 13.72 inchesSweet Grass County13.72Teton County: 13.01 inchesTeton County13.01Stillwater County: 12.53 inchesStillwater County12.53Judith Basin County: 12.48 inchesJudith Basin County12.48Carbon County: 12.29 inchesCarbon County12.29Pondera County: 12.08 inchesPondera County12.08Silver Bow County: 12.06 inchesSilver Bow County12.06Cascade County: 11.69 inchesCascade County11.69Jefferson County: 11.44 inchesJefferson County11.44Big Horn County: 11.39 inchesBig Horn County11.39Broadwater County: 10.81 inchesBroadwater County10.81Carter County: 10.76 inchesCarter County10.76Powder River County: 10.76 inchesPowder River County10.76Treasure County: 10.51 inchesTreasure County10.51Yellowstone County: 10.5 inchesYellowstone County10.5Liberty County: 10.29 inchesLiberty County10.29Fergus County: 10.28 inchesFergus County10.28Wheatland County: 10.17 inchesWheatland County10.17Custer County: 10.14 inchesCuster County10.14Wibaux County: 9.93 inchesWibaux County9.93Toole County: 9.84 inchesToole County9.84Sheridan County: 9.83 inchesSheridan County9.83Fallon County: 9.76 inchesFallon County9.76Musselshell County: 9.61 inchesMusselshell County9.61Rosebud County: 9.5 inchesRosebud County9.5Daniels County: 9.45 inchesDaniels County9.45Chouteau County: 9.44 inchesChouteau County9.44Golden Valley County: 9.32 inchesGolden Valley County9.32Blaine County: 9.21 inchesBlaine County9.21Hill County: 9.05 inchesHill County9.05Dawson County: 9.03 inchesDawson County9.03Roosevelt County: 8.88 inchesRoosevelt County8.88Prairie County: 8.84 inchesPrairie County8.84Richland County: 8.34 inchesRichland County8.34Petroleum County: 8.21 inchesPetroleum County8.21Phillips County: 8.03 inchesPhillips County8.03Garfield County: 7.94 inchesGarfield County7.94McCone County: 7.74 inchesMcCone County7.74Valley County: 7.21 inchesValley County7.21Mineral County: 35.12 inchesMineral County35.12Flathead County: 33.59 inchesFlathead County33.59Lincoln County: 32.03 inchesLincoln County32.03Sanders County: 30.28 inchesSanders County30.28Missoula County: 27.07 inchesMissoula County27.07Ravalli County: 24.32 inchesRavalli County24.32Lake County: 23.04 inchesLake County23.04Powell County: 22.1 inchesPowell County22.1Park County: 21.81 inchesPark County21.81Gallatin County: 20.88 inchesGallatin County20.88Madison County: 20.39 inchesMadison County20.39Glacier County: 20.17 inchesGlacier County20.17Granite County: 18.99 inchesGranite County18.99Lewis and Clark County: 17.96 inchesLewis and Clark County17.96Deer Lodge County: 17.32 inchesDeer Lodge County17.32Beaverhead County: 15.58 inchesBeaverhead County15.58Meagher County: 14.8 inchesMeagher County14.8Sweet Grass County: 13.72 inchesSweet Grass County13.72Teton County: 13.01 inchesTeton County13.01Stillwater County: 12.53 inchesStillwater County12.53Judith Basin County: 12.48 inchesJudith Basin County12.48Carbon County: 12.29 inchesCarbon County12.29Pondera County: 12.08 inchesPondera County12.08Silver Bow County: 12.06 inchesSilver Bow County12.06Cascade County: 11.69 inchesCascade County11.69Jefferson County: 11.44 inchesJefferson County11.44Big Horn County: 11.39 inchesBig Horn County11.39Broadwater County: 10.81 inchesBroadwater County10.81Carter County: 10.76 inchesCarter County10.76Powder River County: 10.76 inchesPowder River County10.76Treasure County: 10.51 inchesTreasure County10.51Yellowstone County: 10.5 inchesYellowstone County10.5Liberty County: 10.29 inchesLiberty County10.29Fergus County: 10.28 inchesFergus County10.28Wheatland County: 10.17 inchesWheatland County10.17Custer County: 10.14 inchesCuster County10.14Wibaux County: 9.93 inchesWibaux County9.93Toole County: 9.84 inchesToole County9.84Sheridan County: 9.83 inchesSheridan County9.83Fallon County: 9.76 inchesFallon County9.76Musselshell County: 9.61 inchesMusselshell County9.61Rosebud County: 9.5 inchesRosebud County9.5Daniels County: 9.45 inchesDaniels County9.45Chouteau County: 9.44 inchesChouteau County9.44Golden Valley County: 9.32 inchesGolden Valley County9.32Blaine County: 9.21 inchesBlaine County9.21Hill County: 9.05 inchesHill County9.05Dawson County: 9.03 inchesDawson County9.03Roosevelt County: 8.88 inchesRoosevelt County8.88Prairie County: 8.84 inchesPrairie County8.84Richland County: 8.34 inchesRichland County8.34Petroleum County: 8.21 inchesPetroleum County8.21Phillips County: 8.03 inchesPhillips County8.03Garfield County: 7.94 inchesGarfield County7.94McCone County: 7.74 inchesMcCone County7.74Valley County: 7.21 inchesValley County7.21
inches. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
inches
Change on 2020
1Mineral County35.12-10.6%
2Flathead County33.59-10.1%
3Lincoln County32.03+3.9%
4Sanders County30.28-6.9%
5Missoula County27.07-15.5%
6Ravalli County24.32-21.6%
7Lake County23.04-12.5%
8Powell County22.1-21%
9Park County21.81-10.2%
10Gallatin County20.88-0.4%
11Madison County20.39+7%
12Glacier County20.17-14.6%
13Granite County18.99-22.4%
14Lewis and Clark County17.96-15.8%
15Deer Lodge County17.32-29.5%
16Beaverhead County15.58-13.3%
17Meagher County14.8-18.2%
18Sweet Grass County13.72-20%
19Teton County13.01-23.8%
20Stillwater County12.53-30.2%
21Judith Basin County12.48-21.5%
22Carbon County12.29-22.5%
23Pondera County12.08-24.8%
24Silver Bow County12.06-28.9%
25Cascade County11.69-23.6%
26Jefferson County11.44-26.8%
27Big Horn County11.39-6.9%
28Broadwater County10.81-16%
29Carter County10.76-0.6%
29Powder River County10.76+11.5%
31Treasure County10.51-15.1%
32Yellowstone County10.5-20.3%
33Liberty County10.29-11.6%
34Fergus County10.28-28.1%
35Wheatland County10.17-29.1%
36Custer County10.14+2.6%
37Wibaux County9.93-17.7%
38Toole County9.84-19.4%
39Sheridan County9.83+0.4%
40Fallon County9.76-15.4%
41Musselshell County9.61-30.4%
42Rosebud County9.5-14.8%
43Daniels County9.45-14.5%
44Chouteau County9.44-26.8%
45Golden Valley County9.32-39.3%
46Blaine County9.21-26.7%
47Hill County9.05-18.8%
48Dawson County9.03-12.9%
49Roosevelt County8.88-3.5%
50Prairie County8.84-14.5%
51Richland County8.34-7.9%
52Petroleum County8.21-31.6%
53Phillips County8.03-23.3%
54Garfield County7.94-31.1%
55McCone County7.74-29.7%
56Valley County7.21-32.6%

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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties, Counties in Montana by annual precipitation, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_montana_by_2021,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December precipitation, counties: Counties in Montana by annual precipitation, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/annual-precipitation/montana-counties?period=2021.
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 Montana by annual precipitation using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest annual precipitation?

Mineral County, with 35.12 inches in 2021, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest annual precipitation?

Valley County, with 7.21 inches in 2021.

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