Question: Moscow ID vs Portland OR weather/gloom (Coeur d'Alene, Cascade: job market, school)

[Mary1974]

Hi, I searched and haven't found an answer to this question: does Moscow ID have anywhere near the gloom that Portland OR has? I am a student in Portland, originally from the suburbs of Chicago, looking for a place to go after school. Moscow ID is really appealing to me, but when I look at Local Health Safety and Environmental Hazard Information, it looks like the gloom is close to the same amount Portland gets. Has anyone lived in both areas who can tell me the difference in the gloom?

I understand that Moscow gets lots of snow. I am used to snow and actually miss it. It is the months on end of gloom that I am wondering about. Thanks!

[pw72]

Moscow/Pullman gets a little more sunshine than Portland, but it is also colder during the winter and warmer during the summer. Take your pick. BTW, the gloom of Western OR and Western WA tends to be overstated, much of it during the winter, but even during the early summer, mostly during the AM hours. However, as a percentage, you will find more sunshine anywhere east of the Cascade crest.

[Mary1974]

Thanks! I like the very distinct seasons, coming from Chicago. I feel like Portland doesn't get hot enough in the summer to get me through the 8-9 months of damp weather. I have been here in Portland for 2 1/2 years now, and I do feel like the gloom is really extreme. Maybe it is the near constant drizzle that makes it harder for me. Moscow winters look just as gloomy (on paper), at least in Nov.-Feb. and that has me a bit worried.

Do you know how long the snow stays on the ground at a time in Moscow/Pullman? That can help with gloom, at least it definitely helped me in Chicago. The white glare off the snow can make it seem fairly bright, even with cloud cover.

[banjomike]

Moscow can get gloomy in the winter. While overcast, it's not generally as dark as Portland. Moscow gets foggy, but it doesn't get as much rain as Portland, either.

While it gets snow, I don't think it snows as much there as Coeur d'Alene and northward. Typically in the past, all of Idaho has some snow by late November, but this is not so predictable any more. Winter snows may melt off for a few days in mid-winter, then more snow arrives. Coming from Chicago, you would probably find the Moscow wintertime temps to be milder on average, and it's less windy. When spring arrives, Moscow gets a lot of sun that lasts pretty steadily through the summer into the mid-fall. It is gorgeous then in the Palouse.

I understand your feelings about Portland weather. My sons both live there, and when I go visit them, the gloomy skies tend to get me down. i live in southern Idaho, and it's much sunnier year round here than in the north on average.

[NWGirl74]

I went to school at the U of I and moved to Portland after I graduated. It's been awhile but I seem to remember the snow lasting until the first part of March. Of course, that could be in part because I hate the snow so it seemed to last forever. I mainly remember there being snow on the ground and wearing shorts because it hit 40 degrees. Ah, to be that young again.

Moscow definitely has 4 distinct seasons. I did miss that when I first moved here. The campus is really pretty when the leaves are changing. I haven't really looked at that area since I left but being primarily a college town, what's the job market like?

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by NWGirl74

I went to school at the U of I and moved to Portland after I graduated. It's been awhile but I seem to remember the snow lasting until the first part of March. Of course, that could be in part because I hate the snow so it seemed to last forever. I mainly remember there being snow on the ground and wearing shorts because it hit 40 degrees. Ah, to be that young again.

Moscow definitely has 4 distinct seasons. I did miss that when I first moved here. The campus is really pretty when the leaves are changing. I haven't really looked at that area since I left but being primarily a college town, what's the job market like?

If you can drive a tractor, the job situation is pretty good. Otherwise, Moscow is a college town, and pretty typical of small college towns. Finding a job is mostly being in the right place at the right time with the right skill set.

[Mary1974]

I will be self-employed in the medical field.

Thanks for all the feedback! It seems like the weather will suit me just fine there- much better than Portland and maybe not quite as extreme as Chicago.

NWGirl74: Snow until the 1st week of March is no big deal. In Chicago it is still snowing off an on throughout March. :-)

[lind2176]

I went to the U of I in Moscow and after I graduated, I moved to the Portland area. To me, there was a big difference in weather. Please note, this is simply my opinion in what I experienced.

The biggest difference I noticed is that Moscow has four seasons and the west coast rarely does. I lived in both areas for several years. Moscow has a brisk spring but when summer and fall comes around, you will not want to leave! I have moved all over the US and as far as I am concerned, the fall season in Moscow is simply stunning.

However, Portland has it's own beauty. The mist and fog and greenery is stunning. It is green year round, which always amazes me! But as beautiful as it is, I could not live there as well as I did in Moscow because I knew that in Moscow, the sun would come back in the spring whereas Portland, it was year-round. That's just what I experienced in the years I lived there.

[joryjim]

Originally Posted by lind2176

I went to the U of I in Moscow and after I graduated, I moved to the Portland area. To me, there was a big difference in weather. Please note, this is simply my opinion in what I experienced.

The biggest difference I noticed is that Moscow has four seasons and the west coast rarely does. I lived in both areas for several years. Moscow has a brisk spring but when summer and fall comes around, you will not want to leave! I have moved all over the US and as far as I am concerned, the fall season in Moscow is simply stunning.

However, Portland has it's own beauty. The mist and fog and greenery is stunning. It is green year round, which always amazes me! But as beautiful as it is, I could not live there as well as I did in Moscow because I knew that in Moscow, the sun would come back in the spring whereas Portland, it was year-round. That's just what I experienced in the years I lived there.

This is ridiculous. Portland and Moscow are virtually identical for cloud cover. The clouds move through Portland, go through the gorge and then cover Moscow. The sun comes back in Portland in the Spring but the temperatures are also much warmer. Flowers blooming, birds chirping. While in Moscow, it's still freezing cold, snow and ice.

Portland is better than Moscow although not by much. Both are dark, cold and depressing.

[pw72]

Originally Posted by joryjim

This is ridiculous. Portland and Moscow are virtually identical for cloud cover. The clouds move through Portland, go through the gorge and then cover Moscow. The sun comes back in Portland in the Spring but the temperatures are also much warmer. Flowers blooming, birds chirping. While in Moscow, it's still freezing cold, snow and ice.

Portland is better than Moscow although not by much. Both are dark, cold and depressing.

Gonna have to disagree here. There is less cloud cover in Moscow, and anywhere in Eastern WA and OR, than Portland. These are statistical facts.

The average temp in Moscow is colder from November through March, but warmer from April through October.

It's easy to look up the facts. It is also easy to base your perceptions on a year or two of experience.
The former is a better indicator.