Washington

Rainforest in Washington is the wettest in the continental US, officials say

The Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park, which for years held the distinction as one of the quietest places in the world, is plagued with noise pollution from military aircraft, a University of Washington study finds.
The Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park, which for years held the distinction as one of the quietest places in the world, is plagued with noise pollution from military aircraft, a University of Washington study finds. Courtesy of Quiet Parks International via University of Washington

Washington is known for rainy days, so it’s no surprise that it’s also home to one of the wettest spots in the continental U.S., according to officials with the Seattle chapter of the National Weather Service.

Some portions of the Olympic Peninsula see “rainfall in excess of 200 inches per year,” Dustin Guy, a spokesperson for NWS Seattle, told McClatchy in an email. One of those spots is the Hoh Rain Forest, which is “the wettest forest in the lower 48 states,” Guy said.

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is home to the lower 48’s wettest rainforest, where some spots get more than 200 inches of rain a year.
Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is home to the lower 48’s wettest rainforest, where some spots get more than 200 inches of rain a year. National Weather Service Seattle

“While it can often receive 120 to 140 inches of rain, the high elevations regularly receive the liquid equivalent of 200 inches or more,” according to Guy.

Throughout the winter season, frequent rain contributes to the forest’s 140 inches of precipitation on average each year, according to the National Park Service website.

The Hoh Rain Forest is in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, “which once spanned the Pacific Coast from southeastern Alaska to the central coast of California,” the NPS says. It lies on the west side of Olympic National Park, about two hours from Port Angeles and less than an hour from Forks, the NPS says.

Looking at data from Oregon State University’s PRISM project, Guy also noted that some data revealed that Lake Quinault, one of the wettest parts of the Olympic Peninsula, “obtained a total of over 198 inches of precipitation in 2020.”

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is home to the lower 48’s wettest rainforest, where some spots get more than 200 inches of rain a year.
Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is home to the lower 48’s wettest rainforest, where some spots get more than 200 inches of rain a year. National Weather Service Seattle

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Rainforest in Washington is the wettest in the continental US, officials say."

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Brooke Wolford
The News Tribune
Brooke is native of the Pacific Northwest and most recently worked for KREM 2 News in Spokane, Washington, as a digital and TV producer. She also worked as a general assignment reporter for the Coeur d’Alene Press in Idaho. She is an alumni of Washington State University, where she received a degree in journalism and media production from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
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