Puerto Lopez in Columbia the New wettest place in the World and revised Top 20 wettest places

Information provided recently by IDEAM (Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies), the Colombian meteorological service, indicates that one of his official sites called Port Lopez de Micay in the Department of the Cauca, pacific region has an annual average rainfall of 12,892.4 mm for the period of April 1960 - February 2012

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Nevertheless, there are important lagoons in the record from 1960, specially during the period 1968-1979. Despite this it there exist complete records of 31 years in total (until 2011) and in the records only they are absent four months from 1991. Taking the average for these 31 complete years of information the annual average really works out a bit higher in 13,466.3 mm. The was most rainy year a 1984 with an amazing quantity of 23.818 mm (937.72") and the driest with 6.195 mm (243.90'') in 1980 (both years with complete information).

A photograph of the airport at Puerto Lopez de Micay. It is not clear if the rain gauge is located at the airport or in the actual town nearby. Photo by Zavi from mapcarta.com

Almost as this there is incredible the number of days of measurable rainfall that totalled 353 days in 1984 and 355 days in 1985 (with 19.444 mm/765.51 ") that were registered. Almost two years of daily rains. The rainfall falls more or less uniformly throughout the year of approximately 899 mm in February to 1197 mm in May. The most rainy month of which witness is had was an August, 1984 when one measured 3015 mm.

Ironically, for years the site of Lloro, Colombia in the Choco Department of northwestern Colombia has often been referenced by numerous publications, including WMO official reports, as perhaps being the wettest location on earth. This was based upon a study published in 1992 by a Mr. Jesus Eslava from the University of Bogota. He researched a site known as the Lloro Granja Agricola (Lloro Agricultural Farm) where an average of 12,717 mm (500.67”) was measured between 1952-1989. This site, however, was not an official IDEAM location, unlike Puerto Lopez. The actual town of Lloro has an average of only 7,559 mm (297.60”) for the 1971-2000 POR. So the Colombian towns Quibdo and Tutunendo are actually considerably wetter than Lloro (with annual average precipitations of 10,749 mm/423.19” and 11,394 mm/448.58” respectively).

The Top Wettest Places in the World

1. 524.68" / 13327 mm - Puerto Lopez, Cauca, Columbia, South America 
2. 512.08" / 13008 mm - La Concha, Cauca, Columbia, South America 
3. 473.86" / 12036 mm - Bahia Malaga, Valle, Columbia, South America 
4. 467.35” / 11871 mm  - Mawsynram, Meghalaya, India, Asia 
5. 463.66” / 11777 mm - Cherrapunji, Meghalaya , India, Asia 
6. 453.38” / 11516 mm - Cropp at Waterfall, South Island, New Zealand 
7. 448.58” / 11394 mm - Tutunendo, Choco, Colombia, South America     
8. 423.19” / 10749  mm - Quibdo, Choco, Colombia, South America    
9. 411.42” / 10450 mm - Ureca, Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, Africa 
10. 405.47” / 10299 mm - Debundscha, Fako, Cameroon, Africa
11. 404.40” / 10272 mm - Big Bog, Maui, Hawaii, Oceania
12. 384.35” / 9763 mm - Mt.Waialeale, Kauai, Hawaii, Oceania
13. 365.87" / 9293 mm - Kukui, Maui, Hawaii, Oceania 
14. 327.72" / 8324 mm - Walakkad, Kerala, India, Asia
15. 327.24" / 8312 mm - Bellenden Ker, Queensland, Australia
16. 321.60” / 8169 mm - Emei Shan, Sichuan, China, Asia  
17. 315.24" / 8007 mm - Hulikal, Karnataka, India, Asia 
18. 307.90” / 7821 mm - Bowden Pen, Jamaica, Oceania  
19. 300.00" / 7620 mm - Agumbe, Karnataka, India, Asia
20. 297.60” / 7559 mm - Lloro, Choco, Colombia, South America     

Source : Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian

Weather Underground  

Some compilation of Rainfall from Own Research