The American Counties Missing the Most Rain This Year

It has been a dry year. Through the first nine months, 2026 ranks as the 17th driest year since record-keeping began in 1895, according to several NOAA databases and maps. Many of the driest years on record occurred during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. But a national ranking tells only part of the story, because in many states the numbers are much worse.

In some parts of the country, rainfall for the first nine months was about half the average. In 15 counties, the shortfall, meaning the gap between actual and normal rainfall, is the largest for the period in any single year since 1895. These counties are concentrated in five states: Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Missouri.

Severe heat and drought hit the region stretching from Arkansas and Missouri across much of the Deep South in August and September. U.S. Drought Monitor maps show that drought in some areas began as early as June. The current map shows drought across almost all of Arkansas, extending into northern Louisiana and Mississippi.

Is climate change a factor? It likely is, but that is difficult to prove conclusively. Climate change can dry out the air in some areas while also driving record heat. Several cities in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina set all-time high temperatures this year. Climate Crisis 247 could find no single body of research explaining why these states were so dry while much of the nation was not.

What the data does show is that several counties received only about half their normal rainfall, and that some had their driest year on record, based on NOAA county- and state-level figures.

The table below lists the counties with the largest shortfalls, in inches.

County	Jan–Sep 2026	Normal	Shortfall	Rank since 1895
Sunflower County, MS	20.85 in	41.09 in	−20.2 in	Driest on record
Leflore County, MS	21.69 in	41.35 in	−19.7 in	Driest on record
Washington County, MS	22.47 in	41.62 in	−19.2 in	2nd driest
Bolivar County, MS	21.27 in	40.31 in	−19.0 in	Driest on record
Calhoun County, AR	22.14 in	40.83 in	−18.7 in	2nd driest
Del Norte County, CA	27.92 in	46.42 in	−18.5 in	4th driest
Georgetown County, SC	22.86 in	41.30 in	−18.4 in	2nd driest
Grenada County, MS	24.86 in	43.17 in	−18.3 in	3rd driest
Bradley County, AR	23.14 in	41.01 in	−17.9 in	2nd driest
Chicot County, AR	23.89 in	41.64 in	−17.8 in	3rd driest

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