Dear Tom,
How does all the rain we had this summer compare to the rainiest places in the world?
Anna Spiczynski, Chicago
Dear Anna,
The world's wettest locations are on mountains or ridges situated so that prevailing
winds force moist oceanic air inland and upslope. In the United States, the wettest spot
is on Mt. Waialeale on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The annual rainfall there is a
whopping 460.0 inches -- about 38 feet of rain -- or 12.7 times Chicago's annual
average of 36.27 inches.
With 43.28 inches of precipitation (rain plus the water content of melted snow) as of
October 25 at O'Hare, only an additional 6.08 inches is needed to establish a
new annual record (currently 49.35 inches registered in 1983).
The world's wettest location is Lloro, Colombia, with 523.6 inches (14.4
times Chicago's average). There, prevailing west winds carry in moist tropical air from
the Pacific Ocean.
