Washington State Weather (Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver: fit in, movers, house)

[cjg5]

Thought I'd compile a little info here for potential movers wondering about the weather. Of course I'm keeping it general and splitting it between the eastern and western halves of the state. If anyone has anything to add about Washington weather, or just want to discuss the weather in your own area of Washington in general (ala the weather thread in the Alaska forum), let's do that here.

(Since this is for the entire state and not just Seattle, I ask mods please not to merge this with the Seattle weather thread. Thanks).

1) Western Washington features a somewhat mildly humid (though still more than I like!) summer with temperature averages during the day being anywhere from 65 to 77 degrees, depending on where you are. The nights cool off to the upper 40s to low to mid 50s most nights. Again, depending on where you are in Western Washington. Usually once per summer we get some kind of heatwave where temperatures can stay in the mid to high 80s, and at times low 90s, for a few days at a time.

2) Coastal Washington is the most mild, and even in summer you will very easily have fog and dew on the ground in the morning, which may or may not burn off by noon. Rains more in the summer too than the Puget Sound area, as well as all year round.

3) Western Washington winters are rainy everywhere (yes, yes, there are some rain shadows where totals are much lower than other surrounding areas, but don't let that fool you!) and feature cloudy and overcast skies a majority of the time. Wintertime temperatures on average can be from about 40 to 50 degrees during the day, and from about 30 to 38 degrees during the night. Again, location depending. Cold snaps can and do happen, there is usually at least one per year that sends temperatures below freezing for a day or two (or sometimes more) at a time, but these cold snaps are usually accompanied by dry air and clear skies. Sometimes when a system is moving through at the same time, that's when we see our most significant snowfalls (usually ever two to three years, sometimes more).

4) Eastern Washington features a hot but dry summer. Humidity is often very low (just how I like it!) and average daytime temperatures during the summer can range from about 80 to 90 degrees, once again location depending. Some areas of Eastern Washington regularly top out into the 90s and low 100s many days over the summer. Summer average lows can be anywhere from about 50 to about 65 degrees, and again location depending.

5) Eastern Washington winters are cold. Daytime highs during winter average from about 30 to 40 degrees, with lows in the lower 20s and teens in many places. This is the time of year that Eastern Washington also sees the majority of its precipitation, and snow can easily fall and stick around for a while. Some areas get snow more than others, and some have it sticking around more than others.



So if you don't like rain, cloudy skies, mild summers, or even mild winters, Western Washington is not for you.

If you don't like lots of dry heat, cold winters, or snow, Eastern Washington is not for you.

If you don't like any of that, Washington State is not for you, period!


One more thing, due to our latitude, we do see pretty big differences in daylight hours between winter and summer. While (obviously) not as extreme as Alaska, it is something else to take into consideration, especially if short hours of daylight bother you. (I'm talking about total darkness BEFORE 5pm in the winter! On the other hand, complete darkness doesn't come until about 10pm in the summer. Sunrise is also after 7am in winter, and at about 5am in the summer).

[M3 Mitch]

Eastern WA is not a single weather area, you get down near the Columbia and you get more snow/rain and so more trees, likewise as you get closer to Spokane you have more precip and more trees. The Palouse around Lewiston and Clarkston is different from the Tri-City area.

WA is way far north for how hot the summers are on the East side, and how mild the winters are, we are, D'oh, at the same latitude as North Dakota. In the summer I have a hard time getting enough sleep if I don't hit the rack right at sunset, the sun rises at 4 something, and by 5 you have full daylight. Likewise the winter can be a bit depressing, leaving the house in the dark, and coming home in the dark, working a normal dayshift.

One other point - we get 3 distinct weather patterns, that mostly influence the winter but not only the winter - El Nino, La Nina, and neither. El Nino means a warm, dry winter, relatively, La Nina cold and wet, with more snow, neither means something in the middle.

[CarlB328]

Good post, everyone should have to read it before coming here.

[j_k_k]

Unfortunately, it won't discourage the following:

"Hi! We're tired of [California/Arizona/Florida]! We saw some pictures of Washington and it seems beautiful! Where can we find our dream home in Washington? We both work so a great job market is a must. We would like to live close to culture and [diversity/monster truck rallies], but we really can't pay over $200K for a house. It should be [eco/gun]-friendly! We are politically very [liberal/conservative] and want to live only near people who agree with our politics! We don't like too much rain but also don't like heat or cold. We really want a nice view of the mountains, but we need to be near the water as well! Also, how are the schools there? Special needs programs are a must because we have four autistic children plus two who are ADD/ADHD/ODD/SAD! And is there a [Whole Foods/Evangelical church] close by?"

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

WA is way far north for how hot the summers are on the East side, and how mild the winters are, we are, D'oh, at the same latitude as North Dakota.

Eastern Washington is a very sheltered place. There are barriers that protect it from strong marine influences the plague Western Washington (bringing it its year round mildness and all that abundant rainfall!). There are also barriers that protect it against arctic air masses from moving in during the winter. Because of these very same barriers, Eastern Washington is also spared the horrible humidity that areas farther east experience, as well as the milder humidity that Western Washington experiences. As I said, dry place!

And yes, I know it isn't exactly a "single weather area," I just wanted to make a general overview of it, which I think I did. We can always break it down further, and once (if at all) this thread catches on with Washingtonians who would like to share weather conditions in their specific areas, it will paint pictures for a variety of different places state wide for people to look at. Especially when all of the different micro-climates start getting discussed. Washington State is rich in micro-climates (although even those still fit in one way or another into the general patterns I described above).

[Oldgoat38]

Originally Posted by cjg5

Western Washington features a somewhat mildly humid (though still more than I like!) summer

First of all, thanks for posting weather info.

I've read that the normal summer dew point for the PA/Sequim/PT area is in the low 50's. The dew point has a big influence on nighttime temps. So, if you take the lowest nighttime temp, the dew point is usually a few degrees above that.

A dew point in the low 50s is usually considered quite comfortable.

I don't live in the area so I may be totally wrong here. Am I?

Thanks.

[cjg5]

For most people, it's comfortable enough. For me, it's not the most comfortable, but at least I don't have to put up with what I did a few summers ago when I spent a week in Missouri. THAT was awful!

It tends to be humid enough here (in Western Washington) that heat just kills me. The dry heat of Eastern Washington, on the other hand, is very pleasant to me and I love it. Just a matter of personal preference.

About two summers ago it did get hot and sticky here because it spent a few hours raining, the cloud cover never parted (meaning the moisture couldn't evaporate away) and heat moved in. It was miserable. I went to Fred Meyer and one man seemed to be enjoying it out in the parking lot. I heard him tell his children with glee "this is what it was like when I lived in Chicago, only it was hotter there!" I thought I was going to be sick. How could anyone possibly enjoy that? LOL. As I said, personal preferences. So it IS possible to be muggier that what we normally are, too. (The particular incident I reference lasted for about two days. Ick!).

[cdelena]

We do have dry heat here in Washington. Over the weekend we had one of the hottest days of the year in Vancouver with a high of 84 and the dew point was 52. Summers here are glorious (I grew up in Texas so I know).

[skihikeclimb]

Originally Posted by cjg5

For most people, it's comfortable enough. For me, it's not the most comfortable, but at least I don't have to put up with what I did a few summers ago when I spent a week in Missouri. THAT was awful!

It tends to be humid enough here (in Western Washington) that heat just kills me. The dry heat of Eastern Washington, on the other hand, is very pleasant to me and I love it. Just a matter of personal preference.

About two summers ago it did get hot and sticky here because it spent a few hours raining, the cloud cover never parted (meaning the moisture couldn't evaporate away) and heat moved in. It was miserable. I went to Fred Meyer and one man seemed to be enjoying it out in the parking lot. I heard him tell his children with glee "this is what it was like when I lived in Chicago, only it was hotter there!" I thought I was going to be sick. How could anyone possibly enjoy that? LOL. As I said, personal preferences. So it IS possible to be muggier that what we normally are, too. (The particular incident I reference lasted for about two days. Ick!).

You must have a low tolerance because Seattle is as comfortable as it gets in the lower 48 for summer time weather.

[CarlB328]

A dew point in the low 50s is usually considered quite comfortable

All I know is that it's humid and damp here most of the year, but also cool so the humidity isn't miserable like in the south. Summers here are dry compared to the east and south.