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I am seriously considering moving to the area as I have done a lot of research and see some nice things. I am currently in Western WA and cannot take the rain and gray dreary winters anymore.
I read something on one forum that (one person) said the winters out there are foggy, gray and dreary (which is exactly what I do not want, I want to see the sun!)
I've read conflicting stats also on how many days of sun...from 191 to 300...how is anyone supposed to figure it out with so much conflicting info out there?
I did find a website that statistically addressed the wind issues, and although it does not seem great (25 mph gusts at least once a month?) , it does not sound quite as bad as some people have said in various threads on city data forums...
Anyway I really would like the true picture of weather year round. I know summers get hot, but was told by a realtor that usually the first half of the day is not too bad, it is late afternoons when it heats up badly...true? not true?
Does the sun come out in winter? Can anyone describe the fog that I saw 2 posts talking about? Is it foggy early am and then clears? Is it foggy all day? Is the fog around the river areas (which would be totally understandable) but clearer if you are not close to the river?
I can only get so much info from the stats I have seen, and I have seen a lot of conflicting info even on websites that were supposed to be reliable (not just peoples opinion, but research sites that tell you about various cities) , I just don't know what to believe anymore...
I did see that 5 mph winds seem to be almost a daily occurrence , which to me seems pleasant...but I'm not sure what a 25 mph wind is even like...where I live now we get virtually no wind (1-2 mph avg) except for some whopper winter storms where winds get 70-100 mph (something I totally want to get away from as in those kind of storms I sleep in the basement since we have 300 foot trees all around).
So can someone give me an idea of the 25 mph winds? Does that make it too windy to do outside chores like gardening etc or does life pretty much go on but your hair blows in your face LOL I just cannot picture what a 25 mph wind is like and what types of things it would interfere with in daily living.
Can someone post for me, very specifically, what the weather is like year round?
Thank you so much...this is crucial to me, as I have spent 2 weeks trying to find out about this area and if winters are gray and depressing, I may have to look for somewhere else...but I'm running out of options for where to move LOL
I am seriously considering moving to the area as I have done a lot of research and see some nice things. I am currently in Western WA and cannot take the rain and gray dreary winters anymore.
I read something on one forum that (one person) said the winters out there are foggy, gray and dreary (which is exactly what I do not want, I want to see the sun!)
Aren't you a long-time Western Washingtonian? Believe me, sun anywhere in the Eastern Wa is going to be a vast improvement over the Western portion. And you have to realize that just perhaps that person wouldn't have the frame of reference that you would-- and could very well be from an area that is perpetually sunny year long (so in other words, not the kind of person you'd want to talk to in RE: SUN west vs east WA).
My BIL and his family live in Kennwick right now after living in CA/GA. His wife is from San Diego... she loves the weather except for the wind. BIL (a 3rd gen. Seattleite) has already said there's no way she'll make it in the Western portion of WA so that area is "off-limits".
I've read conflicting stats also on how many days of sun...from 191 to 300...how is anyone supposed to figure it out with so much conflicting info out there?
Conflicting because the many definitions of what a sunny day constitutes. That lower number could very well means NO CLOUDS at all... whereas that higher number could mean it was sunny, but there were clouds on the horizon.
I did find a website that statistically addressed the wind issues, and although it does not seem great (25 mph gusts at least once a month?) , it does not sound quite as bad as some people have said in various threads on city data forums...
Anyway I really would like the true picture of weather year round. I know summers get hot, but was told by a realtor that usually the first half of the day is not too bad, it is late afternoons when it heats up badly...true? not true?
That's pretty much how it works here in Western WA... the hotter portion of the day isn't noon, its around 3-5.
Just remember, its been said many times that particular area that the Tri-Cities and the SE portion of WA is the ideal condition for the wineries and its orchards because of the sun; even better than California (which is more well-renowned for their wineries, but WA is catching up and mostly surpassing). Its better than CA because it receives on average 2 more hours sunshine that CA does.
I am not however a resident of that area; I just visited there a lot because of family and the wineries. DH is a winer.
Well, in general to start out with January, usually fairly cold, possible to get down below 0 F, but if it does, usually the wind is still and it does not last more than maybe a week. Likewise, some La Nina winters we get a fair bit of snow, although generally less than a foot of snow at once. Some El Nino winters we have almost no snow. Fog is pretty common in the mornings. Typically overcast.
Spring, you can have a lot of switching between 60's to 90's like we have now for highs, not unusual to have a good bit of wind. Some La Nina springs like we have this year, there is a fair amount of rain, although, this is a dry area and if you want to grow anything but wheat or sagebrush, you irrigate it.
Summers, typically we have weeks on end with blue skies, warm to hot, a lot of sun. Summers can be quite nice, but it's not rare to get over 100 F, but this too only lasts a week or 2.
Fall, wind again. Fall is usually pretty dry. Look at the NWS Pendleton site, they have a lot of data there.
Winters are miserable, but not as miserable as Western Washington. December, January, February, and usually some or most of March is usually dreary and cold, and often windy. April is wet, cool, and windy. May through October is perfect, with clear skies, low humidity often for weeks at a time. November starts the nastiness.
Thanks for all the replies...more detailed info than I have found by random searching. The winter weather does not thrill me as dreary winters are exactly what I am trying to get away from...I am not a fan of hot weather but figured I could tough it out for sunny days...
right now we spend winters in AZ and we were hoping to be able to have ONE house to live in as the travelling back and forth (not to mention the expense of 2 houses that we only live in 6 mos of the year, but have to pay people to watch the 6 mos we are not there) is a pain, so I was hoping to find an area that I would not hate as much as Western WA...we don't even have decent summers anymore (although when I moved here in the late 80's we had gorgeous summers)...sigh...
I guess the search may have to continue...we'll see
Thanks for the info folks, if anyone has anything to add, please DO post it as I have not totally ruled this area out...there are several positive reasons I can still see for moving there...
Even in CA you get overcast winters (at least in areas I have been) so may just have to tough that out as well...
I SO wish living on the east coast was a possibility, alas hubbies job interferes with that...
Yes, it can be dreary here in the Winter, but it's been so long since we've had normal weather that I guess people have forgotten.
The sun does come out in the Winter here, though of course not full strength here or anywhere, for that matter. We have our fair share of overcast days, but rarely is it dark and gloomy. About every six years to seven years, we'll get a particularly nasty winter. By nasty, I mean -15F for more than a week. But then it's too cold to snow and balances out. Other winters see more rain. When we have an incredibly mild winter, we tend to get spectacular thunderstorms in the spring and summer. Spring usually starts early here. Autumn starts late. Summers can get very hot, and the lovely dry heat of my youth are no more because of all the irrigation. The wind prevents it from being too muggy. To compare, it got up to 85 degrees the year I spent in Kitsap County. No a/c, humidity - miserable. That's how 100-105F feels here now.
In answer to your question, no, the wind does not prevent Tri-Citians from doing most anything. I mean obviously we won't stir up our garden beds in real wind, but we also won't let it stop us from going to the store, or even a park. We'll drive a little more careful on the bridges because the stronger gusts have thrown us all out of our lanes at least once. 10-15mph winds are really, really nice on a warm day, IMO.
The winter fog here is unpredictable, often pops up in the mornings or evenings, usually near the rivers. But there are also phantom patches, and sometimes it lingers. Generally our wind keeps our air fresh. Which, btw - you'd best make sure your allergies are in check before you come here. Many people just can't physically handle it here because of the tumbleweeds, grasses, agriculture, sagebrush, dust and/or Russian Olive trees.
Thanks for that info...the other day when I knew our wind was 10 mph (probably more since I am so close to the sound) I stood outside on my deck and thought it was actually quite pleasant...and did imagine that in summer a strong breeze would be nice
Can you explain "but it's been so long since we've had normal weather that I guess people have forgotten." please?
The reason I ask is that in the last 5 years we have had a huge change in weather here in western WA...gone are the beautiful blue skies we used to have all summer...now you are lucky to get 2 weeks of sun at a time...it is starting to rain and/or be very cloudy quite often in summer, which has pushed me over the edge to get out of here...rain/gloom 6-8 mos a year is bad enough...rain/gloom all year long just intolerable.
I have found a weather cam @ Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, WA...and have been watching the skies...but I wonder if that is the same as what you are seeing in the tri-cities area...it is the closest weather cam to there.
This past week seems like it has been awfully cloudy over there if the weather is the same...
Curious about your name since I know 509 is the area code LOL Are you wanting to leave there? If so why? (unless it is a personal reason of course)
We are hoping to get out there for a long weekend this summer, but it is winters I am most concerned about...and just cannot get over there in the winter...I am thinking perhaps we'd better rent when we first get over there...just in case we don't like it...but then that will leave our house in AZ empty for a winter if we stay there just to check it out...our goal is to sell the AZ house and just stay in one place...being a snow bird can be pretty difficult and keeping 2 houses really adds up...
Thanks for any additional help you can give...
J
Quote:
Originally Posted by longingtoleave509
Yes, it can be dreary here in the Winter, but it's been so long since we've had normal weather that I guess people have forgotten.
The sun does come out in the Winter here, though of course not full strength here or anywhere, for that matter. We have our fair share of overcast days, but rarely is it dark and gloomy. About every six years to seven years, we'll get a particularly nasty winter. By nasty, I mean -15F for more than a week. But then it's too cold to snow and balances out. Other winters see more rain. When we have an incredibly mild winter, we tend to get spectacular thunderstorms in the spring and summer. Spring usually starts early here. Autumn starts late. Summers can get very hot, and the lovely dry heat of my youth are no more because of all the irrigation. The wind prevents it from being too muggy. To compare, it got up to 85 degrees the year I spent in Kitsap County. No a/c, humidity - miserable. That's how 100-105F feels here now.
In answer to your question, no, the wind does not prevent Tri-Citians from doing most anything. I mean obviously we won't stir up our garden beds in real wind, but we also won't let it stop us from going to the store, or even a park. We'll drive a little more careful on the bridges because the stronger gusts have thrown us all out of our lanes at least once. 10-15mph winds are really, really nice on a warm day, IMO.
The winter fog here is unpredictable, often pops up in the mornings or evenings, usually near the rivers. But there are also phantom patches, and sometimes it lingers. Generally our wind keeps our air fresh. Which, btw - you'd best make sure your allergies are in check before you come here. Many people just can't physically handle it here because of the tumbleweeds, grasses, agriculture, sagebrush, dust and/or Russian Olive trees.
Last edited by wldgrdnr; 05-25-2012 at 11:23 AM..
Reason: typo
We have good weather and bad weather just like anywhere else in the world. There are 4 distinct seasons which I love. We have mostly dry weather, so when it does rain it is pleasant. If I were going to complain about the weather it would be the wind. However, for me there is enough sun to make up for it and I am from Ca.I also think we have it pretty great here. Please don't tell anyone!lol
If you are looking for warmer weather I am not sure you would be as happy over here. It seems like it is cold for most of October through May. Not until June does it really seem like we get continuous days that are warm. We are just now starting to warm up it feels like.
I cant stand the wind here. I find the wind to be incredibly annoying and it seems like it lasts on and off for months. If I could get rid of one thing here it would be the windy days.
Winter here with snow kind of stinks. We get some snow sometimes and then it seems like often it warms up enough to melt the snow a little and then creates slick ice on the road and it is scary. They don't seem to put a whole lot of money into maintaining the roads here when it snows and I wish they would.
Fall here is wonderful and my favorite season. It starts to get colder and I just love this area in fall. Summers never seem to get unbearably hot, we are kind of lucky to get pretty comfortable weather a lot in the summer.
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Can you explain what you mean?
