Living in Hawaii, the fiftieth state of the United States, we also grew up hearing that the rainiest city in the US is Seattle Washington. However, even in you were only counting the continental US or mainland states, Seattle still ranks behind a lot of other cities in terms of annual rainfall totals. Chicago, Houston, New York City, Miami and other cities receive more rain than Seattle's 37 inches.
The reason Seattle got the reputation as the rainiest capital is:
...because while it indeed rains a lot here, it doesn't rain very heavily. It could rain all day here, and we'll pick up maybe 0.10" of rain. Meanwhile, a 20 minute thunderstorm in Miami could drop 0.75" of rain.
And now we come back to Hilo, Hawaii, on the Big Island. According to RSS Weather, where you can look up and search any USA weather by city, state, or zip code, Hilo receives over 126 inches of rain per year!
Where we live in Keaau on the Big Island of Hawaii we receive even more rain than Hilo--much, much more. 120-200 inches of annual rainfall!!
How rainy is it where you live?
I can confirm that. My Dad was born and raised in Hilo and it seemed to rain every time we visited!
Posted by: kailani | October 30, 2007 at 11:33 PM
At least it didn't rain ALL the time you visited;)
Posted by: HawaiiVacationGifts | October 31, 2007 at 02:28 AM
I can believe that. When I stayed near Hilo last time, we got something like 12 inches of rain in just one day! I also peek in on the volcano web cam from time to time and it seems like more often than not, it's got raindrops on the lense.
Can we have some of your extra rain? ;-) We're in a drought here and I heard on the news yesterday that we need another 48 inches of rain to get us back to a non drought condition. Yikes!
Posted by: Sheila | October 31, 2007 at 11:17 AM
Hilo is so beautiful when it rains. Especially the parks. What a lovely city.
Posted by: Kenyo | November 01, 2007 at 03:31 PM
Every time I find myself complaining about the rain, I take it back and feel grateful because I know lots of areas wish they could have our rain.
Posted by: HawaiiVacationGifts | November 04, 2007 at 02:16 AM
Kenyo, you're so right. It may put a damper on things for some people, but it's really a blessing in disguise (well, usually)!
Posted by: TopVacationPlaces | September 13, 2009 at 07:51 AM
Been to Hawaii many time. It has been my favorite destination for a nice vacation and will always be. I will probably be going solo next time because of a business conference there.
Posted by: Boracay Beach Resort | December 01, 2009 at 04:48 AM
Hawaii is my most visited state to date. I like its beaches and its views I even had my honeymoon there.
Posted by: Boracay Accomodation | December 02, 2009 at 01:48 AM
Hawaii to me is probably the most beautiful state in the United States of America. I am a frequent visitor there.
Posted by: Emergency Plumbing Liverpool | December 03, 2009 at 02:31 AM
Been to the place. It is nice and the people are friendly and accommodating.
Posted by: Kindle | December 16, 2009 at 09:16 PM