The Worst
1 Quillayute, Washington—besides being tied with Astoria, Oregon, as the cloudiest U.S. city (240 days), is the most humid (83% relative humidity), and is second in terms of rain (104.5 inches) and number of rainy days (210).

2 Astoria, Oregon—ties Quillayute for cloudiest in the nation (240 days), and comes in third in terms of wetness (69.6 inches per year/191 days). Even on fair weather days, gusty winds and rough seas may occasionally produce a breaking wave—known as a widowmaker—that can swamp a boat. Soaking rains and wind-driven high tides can push seawater across highways or up beaches. Earth slides also periodically occur, mostly in highway cuts.

3-4 Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan—We nearly had a tie between Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. They ranked numbers four and five (respectively) in terms of the coldest U.S. cities, and numbers two and three as the snowiest cities. They both also ranked seventh and eighth among the rainiest cities. If you enjoy lots of rain, snow and cold weather, these are two places you should go!

5-6 Syracuse and Binghamton, New York—Similarly, two cities in New York State ran very close to each other in terms of cloud cover and precipitation. Syracuse ranks fourth among the rainiest cities in the U.S. (171 days); Binghamton came in tenth (162 days). Binghamton is among the top ten cloudiest cities (212 cloudy days annually), while Syracuse ranks fourth among the snowiest cities, with 111.6 inches annually. The climates of both of these cities are representative of the humid northeastern United States. Being adjacent to the so-called St. Lawrence Valley storm track and also subject to cold air masses approaching from the west and north, these cities must continually endure unsettled weather patterns.

7 Elkins, West Virginia—tied Syracuse for fourth rainiest city in the U.S., and is also ranked just behind Binghamton in the number of cloudy days (211).

8 New Orleans, Louisiana—landed among the top ten in terms of wettest cities (59.74 inches annually), as well as among the most humid (average relative humidity 75.5%). Spend a summer here and you will very quickly learn why it’s not easy to live in the Big Easy without air conditioning!

9 Eugene, Oregon—ranked high up in the cloud and humidity department: it experiences 209 cloud-filled days annually, and has an average relative humidity that ties New Orleans for eighth place overall. On a positive note, the abundant moisture and moderate temperatures result in the rapid growth of timber evergreens. They are a major industry here.

10 Hilo, Hawaii—Hawaii is usually assumed to be a paradise, with sun-filled skies and perfect weather yearround. But this is not necessarily the case with Hilo. Hilo is number one among all U.S. cities in terms of average, annual precipitation, with a whopping 128 inches. In fact, the wettest part of Hawaii (over 200 inches) is only about 6 miles up-slope from the city limits. Hilo also ranks number one in terms of the number of rainy days, with 277. So there is at least a 75 percent chance that on any given day in Hilo, some rain will fall.