Climate rankings

Wettest and rainiest places in the UK

Argyll and Bute is the wettest place in the UK, receiving 2,218mm of rain per year - that's 4.1 times more than Castle Point, which gets just 544mm. Rain falls on an average of 4.1 days a week.

Na h-Eileanan Siar has the most rainy days, with rain falling on 222 days per year, or about 4.3 days a week. That's 118 more rainy days than Rochford, the driest area by that measure.

Western and upland areas are significantly wetter than eastern lowlands. The prevailing westerly winds bring moisture from the Atlantic, which falls as rain when it hits higher ground. This is why Cumbria and western Scotland dominate the top of this table.

Data last updated: 7 July 2026

All 350 areas ranked by annual rainfall, from wettest to driest. You can search for a specific area, filter by region, or switch to the Rain Days tab to see which areas have the most days with rain. Click any column header to re-sort the rankings.

Rainfall totals and rain days tell different stories. An area can get a lot of rain in fewer, heavier bursts, or it can drizzle frequently but accumulate less overall. The Rain Days tab shows how many days per year get 1mm or more of precipitation.

Showing 350 of 350 areas.

A closer look at the top 10

The top 10 is a split between western Scotland and southern Wales, with no English entries at all. Argyll and Bute leads at 2,218mm a year, roughly 1.9x the UK average of 1,150mm. Stirling follows at 2,078mm, then Rhondda Cynon Taf (2,020), Inverclyde (1,995), Gwynedd (1,863), Highland (1,851), Neath Port Talbot (1,789), Merthyr Tydfil (1,743), North Ayrshire (1,713) and Bridgend (1,654).

The reason is geography. Prevailing westerly winds carry moisture off the Atlantic and dump it on the first bit of high ground they hit; western Scotland and the South Wales valleys are exactly that first high ground. This is orographic rainfall, and it is why the western half of the UK gets so much more rain than the eastern half despite being at the same latitude.

Rainfall totals and rain days do not line up perfectly. Argyll and Bute has the most total rain but not the most rainy days; Highland has 211 rain days across 1,851mm, which averages heavier individual falls per rainy day than Rhondda Cynon Taf's 181 days across 2,020mm. Some western areas get their rain in fewer, more intense bursts; others get near-daily drizzle that adds up more slowly.

The east-west split across the country is one of the biggest divides in UK climate. Argyll and Bute at 2,218mm sits at one end of the spectrum; the driest areas in the East of England receive under 550mm, which is less than a quarter of Argyll's total. Two areas at the same latitude but 400 miles apart can experience entirely different weather.

Key findings

  • Argyll and Bute is the wettest area with 2,218mm of rain per year.
  • Rain falls on 4.1 days a week on average in Argyll and Bute.
  • Na h-Eileanan Siar has the most rainy days of any UK area at 222 per year.
  • The wettest area receives around 93% more rain than the UK average of 1,150mm.

Methodology

Areas are ranked using Met Office HadUK-Grid 5km-resolution climate data, averaged over the 1991-2020 reference period. Rain days are defined by the Met Office as days with 1mm or more of precipitation. Rain days per week is derived by dividing annual rain days by 52.

Read more about our data sources and approach on the About page.

Frequently asked questions about the wettest places in the UK

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Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid, 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.