(Stacker) — During the past winter, parts of California experienced massive amounts of rain and snow. Though it momentarily eased the frequent drought periods that had been affecting the state, the surge in rainfall flooded roads, knocked out power, and broke levees. Fueled by multiple converging atmospheric rivers, the state’s infrastructure was not able to capture all of the excess water, meaning water shortages could again return during future dry spells.

Climate change can both intensify rainfall and also extend droughts. Warmer temperatures increase rates of evaporation, pulling more water from the ocean and causing more precipitation overall. Data indicates single-day precipitation extremes are happening more frequently. Conversely, more evaporation also dries out surface water and soil, leaving less fresh water available. Even as the moist air from oceans and other sources returns to land as rain, sleet, or snow, inconsistent wind patterns and currents mean it isn’t distributed evenly. That’s why even as some counties experienced their wettest year on record, others experienced their driest.

Nationwide, 43% of counties reported precipitation over the past year greater than their long-term average. A 1,000-year event dumped 25 inches of rainfall over 24 hours in Fort Lauderdale on April 13. Nevada desert regions experienced thunderstorms and heavy rain in June. Severe weather through the mid-Atlantic in August brought tennis ball-sized hail to West Virginia and softball-sized hail and flash flooding in Maryland.

Using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, Stacker identified counties in Alabama that received the most precipitation from September 2022 to August 2023 compared to their average annual precipitation from 1901 to 2000. In the case of a tie, the amount of precipitation over the past year served as a tiebreaker.

Read on to see which counties reported more precipitation over the past year than usual.

40. Choctaw County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.1 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.3 inches above average (#61 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.0 inches above statewide average

39. Bullock County

Precipitation over the past year: 52.4 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.3 inches above average (#72 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.8 inches below statewide average

38. Montgomery County

Precipitation over the past year: 52.7 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.6 inches above average (#66 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.5 inches below statewide average

37. Shelby County

Precipitation over the past year: 55.7 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 0.8 inches above average (#60 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 0.5 inches above statewide average

36. Walker County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.8 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.3 inches above average (#56 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.7 inches above statewide average

35. Lauderdale County

Precipitation over the past year: 55.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.6 inches above average (#54 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 0.4 inches above statewide average

34. Cleburne County

Precipitation over the past year: 55.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.6 inches above average (#56 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 0.4 inches above statewide average

33. Washington County

Precipitation over the past year: 61.4 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.7 inches above average (#52 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 6.3 inches above statewide average

32. Calhoun County

Precipitation over the past year: 55.2 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.8 inches above average (#56 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 0.0 inches above statewide average

31. Clarke County

Precipitation over the past year: 59.8 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 1.9 inches above average (#49 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 4.7 inches above statewide average

30. Lamar County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.3 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.3 inches above average (#52 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.2 inches above statewide average

29. Fayette County

Precipitation over the past year: 59.2 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 2.9 inches above average (#48 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 4.0 inches above statewide average

28. Jackson County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.8 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.0 inches above average (#49 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.6 inches above statewide average

27. Lawrence County

Precipitation over the past year: 56.5 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.0 inches above average (#50 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 1.3 inches above statewide average

26. Limestone County

Precipitation over the past year: 56.9 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.2 inches above average (#50 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 1.8 inches above statewide average

25. Etowah County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.7 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.2 inches above average (#46 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.5 inches above statewide average

24. Colbert County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.1 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.5 inches above average (#43 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 1.9 inches above statewide average

23. Madison County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.9 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.6 inches above average (#46 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.8 inches above statewide average

22. Macon County

Precipitation over the past year: 55.4 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.7 inches above average (#49 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 0.3 inches above statewide average

21. Elmore County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.2 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.7 inches above average (#42 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 2.1 inches above statewide average

20. Russell County

Precipitation over the past year: 53.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 3.7 inches above average (#41 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 1.6 inches below statewide average

19. Greene County

Precipitation over the past year: 57.0 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.1 inches above average (#42 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 1.9 inches above statewide average

18. Randolph County

Precipitation over the past year: 59.0 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.3 inches above average (#41 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 3.9 inches above statewide average

17. DeKalb County

Precipitation over the past year: 60.2 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.7 inches above average (#41 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 5.1 inches above statewide average

16. St. Clair County

Precipitation over the past year: 59.9 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.7 inches above average (#37 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 4.8 inches above statewide average

15. Marshall County

Precipitation over the past year: 59.2 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.8 inches above average (#40 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 4.1 inches above statewide average

14. Marion County

Precipitation over the past year: 60.5 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 4.9 inches above average (#41 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 5.3 inches above statewide average

13. Morgan County

Precipitation over the past year: 59.0 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.0 inches above average (#37 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 3.8 inches above statewide average

12. Cherokee County

Precipitation over the past year: 58.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.0 inches above average (#34 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 3.4 inches above statewide average

11. Blount County

Precipitation over the past year: 60.7 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.1 inches above average (#40 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 5.5 inches above statewide average

10. Franklin County

Precipitation over the past year: 60.4 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 5.7 inches above average (#37 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 5.3 inches above statewide average

9. Lee County

Precipitation over the past year: 58.4 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.1 inches above average (#32 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 3.2 inches above statewide average

8. Coosa County

Precipitation over the past year: 61.2 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.5 inches above average (#30 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 6.0 inches above statewide average

7. Clay County

Precipitation over the past year: 62.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.7 inches above average (#26 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 7.4 inches above statewide average

6. Chambers County

Precipitation over the past year: 60.1 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 6.8 inches above average (#27 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 5.0 inches above statewide average

5. Winston County

Precipitation over the past year: 63.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 7.2 inches above average (#32 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 8.5 inches above statewide average

4. Cullman County

Precipitation over the past year: 63.3 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 7.2 inches above average (#28 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 8.2 inches above statewide average

3. Tallapoosa County

Precipitation over the past year: 61.5 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 7.3 inches above average (#19 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 6.4 inches above statewide average

2. Talladega County

Precipitation over the past year: 61.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 7.9 inches above average (#25 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 6.5 inches above statewide average

1. Pickens County

Precipitation over the past year: 61.6 inches
Comparison to 1901-2000 average: 8.2 inches above average (#30 rainiest September-August period since 1895)
Comparison to state’s precipitation over past year: 6.5 inches above statewide averageThis story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 44 states.