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This thread is a joke right? The weather in Portland is horrible. 8 months of solid rain, drizzle, clouds and then nasty winters with sporadic blizzards and freezing rain? In the last 5 years, we have only had 2 months of sun per year. Last three Junes it rained the entire month and was muggy and nasty. Living in Portland is like living in the clouds, literally. LOL
Yes, this thread is old. But take it from a guy who has lived here for 18 years that the weather in Oregon really is awful. The scenery is beautiful. But Portland is far from having the best weather.
Of course a lot of native Oregonians are naive. Rain is all they know. They jog, hike and have picnics in the rain. Also, when the sun comes out here the entire town of Portland becomes deserted as all the people horde to the coast and the Gorge to enjoy the very short-lived burst of outdoor activities.
I really yearn for sunshine.. Sooo much..
If you yearn for sunshine, move. There is far too much sunshine in Southern California so I will be moving to Portland as soon as I can find a job there. I already take Vitamin D because I have low levels due to avoiding the sun. I understand all that rain is not for everyone, but I yearn for rain the way you yearn for sunshine.
About a month ago, here in Orange County, it was rainy/cloudy for a week straight. Everyone was complaining, but it was my best week ever and it was so depressing when the cloudless skies returned.
From my travels there and the descriptions of Portland weather, I just know I belong there. Hope you find where you belong.
PrettyPele.. If it wasn't for the smog, traffic, crime and general jerky attitude of Southern Californians, I would move back there in a heartbeat. I would take Oregon's crappy weather for the more beautiful scenery, cleaner air, less traffic and crime. I lived in Southern California for 12 years and the only thing I miss is the weather! Moving from So Cal to Washington then Oregon, I never could adjust to the weather.
For all of you who want me to go, will you pay for my move?? If not, I'm not going anywhere until I can afford it myself. Also, I am stuck in a lease. Once my lease is up I am getting the heck out of dodge. I think 18 years of dreary Oregon is enough!
Oregon is an awesome place to visit in late July - early September when the sun is out and its warm. After that, the place is very depressing and dreary.
Let's see, right now it is 27F and the sky is getting grayer by the minute. Looks like more snow. It's so bitter, icy, chilly and wet that my face freezes as soon as I walk out the door. Oh yeah, the weather went from cold and miserable rainy to freezing and ice. How lovely.
Ok.. with such great weather I am getting my flip-flops and beach towel. Time to go out and get a tan.. A fake tan that is...
I am considering moving to Southern Italy, Costa Rica or to Florida. Yes, that is next on the agenda. I was in Africa for 5 months and actually got to really love the hot jungly weather. It was nice that I could just jump in bed at night, one tiny blanket and not be cold. Here in Oregon during winter when it s cold I cannot sleep well, because I am either sweating under all the blankets or freezing when I remove them.
PrettyPele.. If it wasn't for the smog, traffic, crime and general jerky attitude of Southern Californians, I would move back there in a heartbeat. I would take Oregon's crappy weather for the more beautiful scenery, cleaner air, less traffic and crime. I lived in Southern California for 12 years and the only thing I miss is the weather! Moving from So Cal to Washington then Oregon, I never could adjust to the weather.
For all of you who want me to go, will you pay for my move?? If not, I'm not going anywhere until I can afford it myself. Also, I am stuck in a lease. Once my lease is up I am getting the heck out of dodge. I think 18 years of dreary Oregon is enough!
Oregon is an awesome place to visit in late July - early September when the sun is out and its warm. After that, the place is very depressing and dreary.
Let's see, right now it is 27F and the sky is getting grayer by the minute. Looks like more snow. It's so bitter, icy, chilly and wet that my face freezes as soon as I walk out the door. Oh yeah, the weather went from cold and miserable rainy to freezing and ice. How lovely.
Ok.. with such great weather I am getting my flip-flops and beach towel. Time to go out and get a tan.. A fake tan that is...
I am considering moving to Southern Italy, Costa Rica or to Florida. Yes, that is next on the agenda. I was in Africa for 5 months and actually got to really love the hot jungly weather. It was nice that I could just jump in bed at night, one tiny blanket and not be cold. Here in Oregon during winter when it s cold I cannot sleep well, because I am either sweating under all the blankets or freezing when I remove them.
I guess I'm the opposite of most people because when I move out of Southern California I know the LAST thing I will miss would be the weather! I really don't understand why good weather must equate to being sunny. It's far too hot for me most of the time here. I've never seen gray skies and thought "dreary".
I agree with you about "smog, traffic, crime and general jerky attitude" in Southern California. Those are things I'm anxious to leave behind. I hope when you're able to move that you find a place with the best fit for you.
Here more than any other city forum, I see a number of posts which revolve around the weather. I realize I am fueling the fire a bit by discussing it further, but let me put it into perspective.
You will find the closest to perfect weather in 2 places in this great big country: California and Hawaii. Lets face it, where is the weather better than in San Diego or Honolulu, year round? The answer is NOWHERE! However, for those of us who don't have the money to pay a ridiculously high price for a home or apartment and the other costs of living, and you all know how high that can be in these places, these 2 places are not an option.
And so one must choose one of the many places in between and each place has its weather quirks. So you are depressed because it is awfully gray and rainy from November til April or even May. Maybe it even prevents you from going outside because you dont like getting mud on your shoes. Does anyone realize than in a good majority of major cities such as Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Boston going outside during this time(November-April) is a HUGE chore with the 3 layers of clothing that are required to sustain any degree of comfort? Even then, the in your face cold penetrates deep into your skin just enough to make you want to go back indoors after a few minutes. In many cities this is the weather for 5-6 months and the number of people seen outside during this time is very low. Going outside in Portland, even with the rain from November til April is hardly the chore that it is in these other cities. We have temperatues alot of the time in the mid to high 40's which is hardly unbearble. The fact that these places may see the sun alot during these months doesn't make it any easier to step outdoors. Then many people complain that they cant go outside for 5 months, yet the sun is still shining!
Secondly, you have the opposite end of the country, the south with it's cities such as Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami who see the sun well over 300 days a year but are stuck indoors from may-september or october because of the brutal heat which sucks all of the energy out of your veins and renders you useless and makes you feel lethargic for 5 straight months until the heat finally recededs sometime in October. While the rest of the country may be enjoying their peak time and everyone is enjoying themselves outdoors, people in these regions are left to suffer and go into survival mode. There is praise and joy when the temperature dips below 90 sometime in September. You would experience this if you lived in the south. Because of this, people complain that they can't go outside for 5 months, yet the sun is still shining!
As mentioned above, these regions tend to have that 4-6 month period of weather discomfort and the same applies to northwest. In the northwest, people tend to complain most about november-april, a 5 month period. However, if you are not going to live in California or Hawaii you will need to choose one of the following climates above and you'll either be trading rain and gloom with horribly hot or deathly cold for 5-6 months or you can learn to accept the rain and all the beauty you have around you. The sunshine doesnt make all the weather issues go away and plus let us realize that in Portland, one can go outside ANY time of the year and feel comfortable. That is a fact!
I realize not all regions fit 100 percent into this description, but alot do, some to a greater extent, some to a less extent.
So ask yourselves, with all the complaining, do you realize that other places have weather "issues" just as severe if not more than the northwest? Chances are if you complain about this weather, you will complain about the othe weather and in many cases you won't have the beautiful scenery to make it a little more tolerable
I cannot agree more. FL weather is even worse and AZ even moreso. Chicago is awfully cold between those months.
People don't know how good they have it. I mean it rains with milder cold temperatures, you get wet, but oh well. I know parts of the sun are out too other than summertime, just not tons, but there is some I think. People find nothing better to do than complain. A more legitimate complaint is to live in the far suburbs and not by choice and complain you hate it or you can't get out a ton because you're umemployed and don't have enough money coming in to pay for all the gas.
These complaints here are small potatoes next to some things you should be complaining about.
If you yearn for sunshine, move. There is far too much sunshine in Southern California so I will be moving to Portland as soon as I can find a job there. I already take Vitamin D because I have low levels due to avoiding the sun. I understand all that rain is not for everyone, but I yearn for rain the way you yearn for sunshine.
About a month ago, here in Orange County, it was rainy/cloudy for a week straight. Everyone was complaining, but it was my best week ever and it was so depressing when the cloudless skies returned.
From my travels there and the descriptions of Portland weather, I just know I belong there. Hope you find where you belong.
I feel the same way especially in places with way more sun than rain. Portlands climate is best because it gives just the right dose of sun. SMALL. Too much sun is never good.
Even as a long time PNW resident i'll admit the grey and wet theme gets a little tiresome when it goes on for days on end, especially around this time of year when the relatively mixed-bag fall weather changes over to a steady barrage of rain and gloom.
One thing I can say about the weather in the Pacific Northwest is that it tends to be stubbornly consistent for weeks or months on end. In the wintertime, it's rain rain rain and overcast skies for days, weeks, months at a time. Then in the summertime, sun sun sun for long periods with no measurable precipitation for months. Weather in the Atlantic Northeast, by contrast, is less consistent and varies itself much more frequently regardless of season.
Even as a long time PNW resident i'll admit the grey and wet theme gets a little tiresome when it goes on for days on end, especially around this time of year when the relatively mixed-bag fall weather changes over to a steady barrage of rain and gloom.
One thing I can say about the weather in the Pacific Northwest is that it tends to be stubbornly consistent for weeks or months on end. In the wintertime, it's rain rain rain and overcast skies for days, weeks, months at a time. Then in the summertime, sun sun sun for long periods with no measurable precipitation for months. Weather in the Atlantic Northeast, by contrast, is less consistent and varies itself much more frequently regardless of season.
Its a known fact that New England weather is some of the most unpredictable weather around.
I guess I'm the opposite of most people because when I move out of Southern California I know the LAST thing I will miss would be the weather! I really don't understand why good weather must equate to being sunny. It's far too hot for me most of the time here. I've never seen gray skies and thought "dreary".
I agree with you about "smog, traffic, crime and general jerky attitude" in Southern California. Those are things I'm anxious to leave behind. I hope when you're able to move that you find a place with the best fit for you.
I feel exactly the same! In May we get record breaking heat and in November we get record breaking heat. From May to mid November it never goes under 70 degrees (far too warm for me) with June through October in the 90 to 100's. That's seven months of sun blaring HEAT. If we get 3 days of clouds people are going crazy wanting the sun back, while I'm PRAYING for the clouds to stick around for at least another day. I spend 9 months of the year or more avoiding the sun and heat. I think Hawaii sounds like he'll on earth with it's humidity and constant warm climate. The only thing I will miss in California are my friends, family, and good Mexican food. I've lived here for 32 years and I'm counting the days until I can leave. Our bodies and brains are all so different it's a darn good thing we have the choice to live in different climates. California isn't for everyone, even though most people would kill to live here, my pale skin is destined for gray skies.
I agree with the OP. Oregon has, at least, the North's mildest climates. I think where I live has the best weather. I love our often-sunny, very mild winter days and our air-conditioned summers. I love when the fog rolls in and cools the city off. But it is expensive!
I lived in LA for 8 years. And in Cardiff-By-The-Sea in San Diego County for 2 years. I think coastal SD County has a wonderful climate. But as an earlier poster mentioned, S. California is a horrible place to live. Give me a densely packed city like SF any day!
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A fake tan that is... 
