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I notice that most eastern cities get as much rain as Portland and Seattle, yet you rarely hear complaints that it "rains all the time" back east.
The rain comes out basically in buckets at a time, then dries up (and back to the pleasant weather). But it does get humid, especially when it's warm-- so it's still "damp", just in a different way. I honestly like it better this way (a long time Seattleite living in the South here).
I don't know about other places, but living in AL, FL, and TN I've noticed that they have only a few months that are really rainy. During most of the year any rain showers are usually brief, lasting an hour or less and the rest of the day may be beautiful and sunny.
I've always been under the impression that the Seattle area can be overcast and rainy or drizzling for days on end through a good portion of the year. So maybe it's not really "how much" rain but "how often" it rains the creates the different feeling?
It depends on the season. Spring can feel gray, damp, muddy, and waterlogged. Particularity near the Great Lakes.
In summer you can expect a big thunderstorm once or twice a week, but it rarely rains all day long.
Generally Septembers are pleasant and sunny, Octobers are crisp and sunny, and Novembers tend to be gloomy. Though autumns can be a mixed bag, and there's always an exception.
It's # of rainy days, Seattle has more than any U.S. major city. Also, it is overcast a lot, more so than rain. Though summers should be very clear cloudless days. The East is usually humid so clear days are rare unless a front has moved through, but you usually get lots of partly cloudy with some cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds that turn into afternoon thunderstorms then go away.
It's the way the rain comes. I think some areas in the east actually get more annual rain than Seattle. But most of that rain comes in downpours during a storm. Seattle doesn't have as many thunderstorms as the east, but it has less sunny days and is more overcast. I assume the rain comes in a drizzle or light shower in Seattle. Check out this graphic from the national weather service.
The rain comes out basically in buckets at a time, then dries up (and back to the pleasant weather). But it does get humid, especially when it's warm-- so it's still "damp", just in a different way. I honestly like it better this way (a long time Seattleite living in the South here).
basically this with the exception of the last sentence which is personal preference
Its the uncomfortable combination of wrenching humidity and sporadic rain showers in the summer that make the entire East feel just ickier than the Pacific Northwest to me.
Its the uncomfortable combination of wrenching humidity and sporadic rain showers in the summer that make the entire East feel just ickier than the Pacific Northwest to me.
Yes summer can be sticky - spring and fall can be great
I notice that most eastern cities get as much rain as Portland and Seattle, yet you rarely hear complaints that it "rains all the time" back east.
Get thee to the Pittsburgh forum. They spend loads of time arguing about the weather there, and it does rain a lot there.
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