Seattle Weather/Climate Thread (Sammamish: places to go, congestion, regulations)

[Botev1912]

You can't have both. Constant sun/lack of rain makes everything brown. Only tropical places can be sunny and green because they have humidity and rain.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by dbrick92

Thank you all for the awesome responses! These were really great answers. I'm getting a good picture about what winters in Seattle and Denver are like.

Seattle seems like it is green (miss, trees, grass) but dark and cloudy. Definitely getting the sense that people who suffer from SAD may want to think twice due to the time of sunset and weather.

Denver, though there is going to be much more snow, is much sunnier overall and relatively easy to manage. The ability of the snow to melt quick and variety of temperatures and sun also help a lot.

This is a tough one guys. I love green lush landscapes, but I also love the sun! Maybe I should visit both places in the winter and get some sense of what works for me.

Honestly don't think Seattle is a good location for people that suffer from SAD. The clouds are low, the days are short (getting dark at 4 in December) and there can be weeks of no sun. For people that are comfortable with that, the clouds are a good thing because the temperatures are balmier (40s) whereas a sunny day can be colder. I grew up in Denver. It is MUCH sunnier there. The weather can be dramatic but sun is pretty consistent. Denver probably has a hundred more days of sun than Seattle.

[mogon]

Just to note: some part of Colorado Springs got up to 20 inches of snow in the last 24 hours.

Of course it's currently 45 degrees there and will be in the 70s by the weekend

[Sockeye66]

Lifetime PNW and many years in the Seattle area.

I recall my 1st winter trip to a major city away from the Pacific coast, Minneapolis. THAT was depressing, no hills, no green, and some long dark days. Only thing interesting in the landscape was the Mississippi. Went back that June, it was much nicer.

That said, since then I've been to Denver a few times in the winter and was very impressed. I did research a bit there and if there were opportunities in my career there (Commercial Seafood) I'd seriously consider a move. Brighter, clearer, dryer, and scenery.

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by dbrick92

This is a tough one guys. I love green lush landscapes, but I also love the sun! Maybe I should visit both places in the winter and get some sense of what works for me.

I would DEFINITELY visit both if your intention is to move. Some areas look good on paper but disappoint you when you physically visit them. The converse is also true.

[StealthRabbit]

30 yrs in each place / CO and WA

Seattle, = 'Evergreen State' created by wet and mild. Winter = short days, DARK nights (no moon / stars). You need to enjoy doing EVERYTHING in the drizzle, but you may get a few days of sun (if the COLD east winds arrive in January). People in PNW, get wet and don't think about it. If you need sun... do not even consider it, there are MANY great areas to give you Winter Sun, but they are not in PNW. (I fly for sun breaks every week of winter... often to CO, but also NM, TX, CA, NV, MT, WY...MX, South America, AU, NZ are great in USA winter...) I do not do FL or SE USA very often.

Denver, = 'Everbrown' state but fairly green the last 2 yrs (wet winters and summers / for a change))
Soil, grass, trees, roofs, privacy fences, air... all brown in Denver (for about 6-9 months / yr). Weeds are green! I rode my bicycle to work all but 3 days, my last yr in Colorado (really great for biking, wide roads!!!) in PNW I have not even rode my bike to work 3 days in 30 yrs. Wet, dark, rainy, and drivers are not used to seeing bikes through their Windshield wipers)

I lived 30 yrs in Colorado - Front Range but NOT Denver as it is on the 'brown' windswept prairie, much like Kansas... (I prefer Mtns...). Boulder or CoS or Ft Collins is a MUCH better choice than Denver, and you don't have to fight 3m other people coming and going to recreation)

Many nice areas (besides Denver) in Colorado.
Many nice areas (besides Seattle) in Washington State.

My opinion... Both CO and WA are great to visit, but there are better places (states) to live. (Yet very decent places nearby the main cities.)

Depends on your 'other' interests and objectives. For 'wage earning yrs', WA treated me nice. (high wages / no income tax). I could not have survived if in Seattle, because I don't do traffic and I fly a lot.. so Vancouver area (SW WA) put me 5 minutes to great hiking and pics, 20 min to a great airport & 20+ colleges and 1,000+ food trucks, 1 hr to mtns, 1 hr to Oregon coast. Plenty to do. Gardening / flowers / botanical interests are excellent in PNW. Colorado, not so. (for gardeners). Hail will often wipe you out in 5 minutes.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

in PNW I have not even road my bike to work 3 days in 30 yrs. Wet, dark, rainy, and drivers are not used to seeing bikes through their Windshield wipers)

Have you even been to Seattle? Roads are full of bikes and bike lanes. There are even traffic lights for bikes.

[StealthRabbit]

We are well aware of Seattle bike culture (beating drivers...)

Fine for some. but No thanks.

Many CO riders share the same fervor, and met some in NV last month too - "Bicyclists entitlement for rage".

Better to 'get-on-with-life' and recognize the risks. (3m accident free miles, so I intend to keep it that way)

[dbrick92]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

30 yrs in each place / CO and WA

Seattle, = 'Evergreen State' created by wet and mild. Winter = short days, DARK nights (no moon / stars). You need to enjoy doing EVERYTHING in the drizzle, but you may get a few days of sun (if the COLD east winds arrive in January). People in PNW, get wet and don't think about it. If you need sun... do not even consider it, there are MANY great areas to give you Winter Sun, but they are not in PNW. (I fly for sun breaks every week of winter... often to CO, but also NM, TX, CA, NV, MT, WY...MX, South America, AU, NZ are great in USA winter...) I do not do FL or SE USA very often.

Denver, = 'Everbrown' state but fairly green the last 2 yrs (wet winters and summers / for a change))
Soil, grass, trees, roofs, privacy fences, air... all brown in Denver (for about 6-9 months / yr). Weeds are green! I rode my bicycle to work all but 3 days, my last yr in Colorado (really great for biking, wide roads!!!) in PNW I have not even rode my bike to work 3 days in 30 yrs. Wet, dark, rainy, and drivers are not used to seeing bikes through their Windshield wipers)

I lived 30 yrs in Colorado - Front Range but NOT Denver as it is on the 'brown' windswept prairie, much like Kansas... (I prefer Mtns...). Boulder or CoS or Ft Collins is a MUCH better choice than Denver, and you don't have to fight 3m other people coming and going to recreation)

Many nice areas (besides Denver) in Colorado.
Many nice areas (besides Seattle) in Washington State.

My opinion... Both CO and WA are great to visit, but there are better places (states) to live. (Yet very decent places nearby the main cities.)

Depends on your 'other' interests and objectives. For 'wage earning yrs', WA treated me nice. (high wages / no income tax). I could not have survived if in Seattle, because I don't do traffic and I fly a lot.. so Vancouver area (SW WA) put me 5 minutes to great hiking and pics, 20 min to a great airport & 20+ colleges and 1,000+ food trucks, 1 hr to mtns, 1 hr to Oregon coast. Plenty to do. Gardening / flowers / botanical interests are excellent in PNW. Colorado, not so. (for gardeners). Hail will often wipe you out in 5 minutes.

You've actually brought up a really important point that I hadn't ever considered. Gardening happens to be one of my favorite things to do. I'm currently living at a house where my wife and I have put in a lot of garden beds. Gives us a lot of room to grow all kinds of things from trees, to bushes, flowers, shrubs, veggies, fruits, etc... By chance, are there a lot of varieties of different trees that grow? Just asking out of curiosity. Also wondering if there are lots of lakes around for kayaking, hiking around, etc...

[elkotronics]

Geraniums do very well in Washington, as do roses and petunias. All of the evergreens do pretty well in western Washington, pine trees flourish in eastern Washington. Washington is a paradise for someone who loves to plant things.