The rain/clouds and gloom in Portland is worse than advertised (work, health)

[suncat]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

One of the reasons I left Portland was the weather. I got tired, after 24 years, of the gloomy winters. Having said that, and even being a "weather refugee"

LOL! I like that term "weather refugee." If you don't mind, I'm going to start using it.

[roneb]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

I am sure if I had the time I could find some data to correlate Portland's winter sun index to some other U.S. cities not considered SAD magnets. I don't think it would fare too badly in the comparisons except in the minds and hearts of those determined to out Portland as a mental health risk. H

Actually, the dat is right on these pages (city-data). Look up the weather summaries provided on percentage of cloudy days and percentage of sunshine and you will see that Portland fares pretty poorly in comparison with almost any other U.S. city (with the exception of Seattle).

[Tesaje]

Originally Posted by roneb

Actually, the dat is right on these pages (city-data). Look up the weather summaries provided on percentage of cloudy days and percentage of sunshine and you will see that Portland fares pretty poorly in comparison with almost any other U.S. city (with the exception of Seattle).

The better measure is the % of available sunshine. The cloud data can be misleading because mostly sunny days with some clouds get counted the same as mostly cloudy days when the human experiences a mostly sunny day as quite nice.

During the winter months, the Pac NW west of the Cascades only gets 30% of the available sunshine and the days are shorter than points further south. Conversely, it gets 70% of the available sunshine in the summer and the days are longer.

[One Thousand]

Originally Posted by Venusian_Artist

, it's not the rain, it's the lack of sunlight. There isn't all that much rain here, that is true.

When I was there, it was the rain for me. From the perspective of an outsider coming in, I checked the average rainfall for the area and it was less than my hometown. I thought that was great. However, you find out during an average winter that the reason that there's less rain is because it falls so slow and light!!!

There are weeks at a time when there's a steady mist in the air. It's so moist, mold is a common problem. In some areas, if you don't use a dehumidifier, you feel the moisture in the carpet; clammy and gross.

I love the cloudiness. I burn easy, yet work outside. So, I look forward to the end of summer (which I found to be very hot in Portland.) It's the rain if you ask me.

Originally Posted by Redrover

What's the deal with not wearing raincoats or carrying an umbrella? Is it somehow not as "macho" (or the feminine equvalent) if you try to stay dry through artificial means?

No, it's not machismo. The act of living in Portland is considered stylish by most Portlanders (if not all.) There's something of a group-think tendency there and not using rain gear is part of the "style." This decision-- like so many trivial things-- is a source of pride for them and they do it to say "I'm a real Portlander."

It's like wearing a coat with shorts. It's all about being stylish...

[Leisesturm]

I lived in Salem for two years. I was a transplant but my partner was a native. One of the first things I did in Oregon was get a Gore-tex shell and wide brim Gore-tex hat so I could walk around in the rain without holding up an umbrella. Where did I get the idea. Right, my friend and her colleague's. Umbrella's are fine when you are in town but do you really want to hold one up all day long on a 6 mile hike? Probably not and if hiking is one of your hobbies and you have invested come case in rainwear you might use it in town as well as on the trail. I can't say that I noticed people walking around in the rain without raingear, just not umbrella's.

H

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by One Thousand

No, it's not machismo. The act of living in Portland is considered stylish by most Portlanders (if not all.) There's something of a group-think tendency there and not using rain gear is part of the "style." This decision-- like so many trivial things-- is a source of pride for them and they do it to say "I'm a real Portlander."

It's like wearing a coat with shorts. It's all about being stylish...

No, it's that it doesn't rain hard enough (usually) to bother with an umbrella. Most people just have a coat with a hood. An umbrella is an annoying thing to carry around - you have to find a place to put a wet umbrella when you get where you're going (as opposed to just shaking out your coat and hanging it on a coat rack) and you have to remember to fetch your umbrella when you leave. It's just an irritating thing to carry around - has nothing to do with style, per se.

Maybe if humans had an extra set of arms or a prehensile tail and could carry around that extra thing everyone would carry an umbrella, but with only two hands it's just not worth the trouble.

[One Thousand]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

No, it's that it doesn't rain hard enough (usually) to bother with an umbrella. Most people just have a coat with a hood. An umbrella is an annoying thing to carry around - you have to find a place to put a wet umbrella when you get where you're going (as opposed to just shaking out your coat and hanging it on a coat rack) and you have to remember to fetch your umbrella when you leave. It's just an irritating thing to carry around - has nothing to do with style, per se.

Maybe if humans had an extra set of arms or a prehensile tail and could carry around that extra thing everyone would carry an umbrella, but with only two hands it's just not worth the trouble.

I'm sure you know your motivations better than me. However, I heard time and time again "I'm a real Portlander, I don't use an umbralla/rain coat" and it was stated with the same jubilee as "we're the Pacific NW" was stated and "hour to the mounains/hour to the ocean" was stated.

[nmorrison6]

No 5 days of sunny weather in 6 months isnt enough. Just wait until you dont see the sun for months at a time. My husband loves it. And I beg to differ about the mild winter. I have been here 15 years and this was a long one. Although 20-30 years ago it would freeze all winter. I am one of these people that cant get used to the gloom. I guess thats why California is so overcrowded.

Or like wearing bathing suits and shorts in LA. Its like saying I am a native. I see lots of raincoats here though

I like that. Not to offend Native Oregonians but there is a certain attitude. As if to say I am better than you. I have never gotten that. Is it because most of them have grown up in the hills and want people to think their real city folk.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by One Thousand

I'm sure you know your motivations better than me. However, I heard time and time again "I'm a real Portlander, I don't use an umbralla/rain coat" and it was stated with the same jubilee as "we're the Pacific NW" was stated and "hour to the mounains/hour to the ocean" was stated.

Mod editIf you're living in Portland, you don't carry an umbrella because it's a pain. And everyone has a Gortex (or gortex-like) coat that sheds water. They may not call it a rain coat, but in the winter you wear a coat/hoodie/light jacket/overshirt that repels rain to some extent.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by nmorrison6

No 5 days of sunny weather in 6 months isnt enough. Just wait until you dont see the sun for months at a time. My husband loves it. And I beg to differ about the mild winter. I have been here 15 years and this was a long one. Although 20-30 years ago it would freeze all winter. I am one of these people that cant get used to the gloom. I guess thats why California is so overcrowded.

Mod edit It has never in the whole of my life (and it's a long one), all of which has been spent in Portland, ever even been close to true that it "would freeze all winter." The weather hasn't changed a bit.