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Yes.

Southern New England, which includes Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, generally gets more total yearly precipitation than Seattle, even though Seattle is famous for its rainy days.

According to the National Weather Service, the mean annual precipitation in Seattle since 1970 was 38.01 inches, as recorded at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. By comparison, the Hartford area’s mean annual precipitation was 47.12 inches, the Boston area’s was 43.03 inches and the Providence area had a mean of 47.93 inches.

While Seattle experiences frequent light rain or drizzle spread out over many days, Connecticut gets heavier rainstorms, summer thunderstorms and winter snow that add to its total. This means that although Seattle has more rainy days, southern New England usually ends up with more overall moisture each year.

While Seattle had roughly 31 inches of precipitation in 2024, the Hartford area alone had nearly 46 inches.

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Reginald David is the Community Engagement Reporter for CT Mirror. He builds relationships across Connecticut to elevate community voices and deepen public dialogue around local issues. Previously, he was a producer at KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR station, where he created community-centered programming, led live event coverage for major events like the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, and Royals Opening Day, and launched KC Soundcheck, a music series spotlighting local and national artists. Reginald has also hosted special segments, including an in-depth interview with civil rights leader Alvin Brooks and live community coverage on issues like racial segregation and neighborhood development. He began his public media career as an ‘Integrity in News’ intern at WNPR in Hartford.