World Records
The Driest and Wettest Places on Earth: Extreme Precipitation Records
Some corners of the Atacama Desert have received no measurable rainfall since weather records began. Others, 400 meters above sea level in northeast India, average nearly 12,000 mm of rain every year — enough to submerge a four-story building. The gap between Earth's driest and wettest places is not just meteorological curiosity. It is a product of ocean currents, mountain geometry, and atmospheric circulation that shapes everything from agriculture to geology to the evolution of life itself.