Sunny Days in Sequim? (Seattle, Vancouver: home, subdivision, living)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The only webcam in Sequim that appears to be broken is John Wayne Marina. It's displayed the same sunny image for 2 years. In fact, it says the image was taken in May 2008. I ignore that one though. Hmmm.... maybe the Chamber of Commerce is using that picture for their 300 days of sun claim
But yeah, there is a clear and substantial difference in "brightness".
LOL yeah maybe, can never trust the government , just kidding. Someone sent me this link Cameras on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula and I like it as I don't have to go back and forth between different sites, maybe this is the one you use as I see the Marina seems to be frozen in time . But the rest of them seem to be either updated hourly or realtime.
But yeah, there is a clear and substantial difference in "brightness".
Which could simply be due to better megapixel resolution between different cams when comparing images...
Nonetheless, the UV exposure graphs here on C-D for towns on the Oly. Peninsula bear out your observation, at least to a degree.
Those of us who live here will undoubtedly admit that the cloud formations above us are constantly moving, being swept across our skies and driven along by the breezes, barometric pressure flux, weather happenings along the Strait etc. (hence our weather changes throughout the day). This means that our cloudy skies often times (but not always) have little peeks of sunshine here and there during most of the fall, winter and spring months. Summer is of course glorious anywhere in western WA.
It can still be pretty gray (and damp) here in PA/Sequim this time of year but... those occasional "sun breaks" now and again usually happen on a daily to weekly basis-depending upon the aforementioned multiple weather pattern factors. (I think Sequim must count all those "peeks" of sun when tabulating their number of annual sunny days! ) Still, growing up in Seattle I don't recall these breaks in the weather happening quite as often duing the winter months as they do around here.
As bisjoe has nicely spelled out, it's not the same weather pattern for all parts of Sequim/PA. As a generalization for winter weather in the part of town where we live, we tend to get a little mist/fog or rain in the early morning hours. It burns off (usually) by late morning. We get the random peek of sun off and on and then by mid afternoon it often clouds over again and can drizzle/rain/pour (or snow). This rain tends to let up again (sometimes) by sunset. Wind storms usually happen in the evening or night hours.
If you're really in to weather, check out a book by Cliff Mass (from UW) titled "The Weather of the Pacific Northwest". The author does a nice job of trying to explain our complicated weather patterns!
Which could simply be due to better megapixel resolution between different cams when comparing images...
Nonetheless, the UV exposure graphs here on C-D for towns on the Oly. Peninsula bear out your observation, at least to a degree.
Those of us who live here will undoubtedly admit that the cloud formations above us are constantly moving, being swept across our skies and driven along by the breezes, barometric pressure flux, weather happenings along the Strait etc. (hence our weather changes throughout the day). This means that our cloudy skies often times (but not always) have little peeks of sunshine here and there during most of the fall, winter and spring months. Summer is of course glorious anywhere in western WA.
It can still be pretty gray (and damp) here in PA/Sequim this time of year but... those occasional "sun breaks" now and again usually happen on a daily to weekly basis-depending upon the aforementioned multiple weather pattern factors. (I think Sequim must count all those "peeks" of sun when tabulating their number of annual sunny days! ) Still, growing up in Seattle I don't recall these breaks in the weather happening quite as often duing the winter months as they do around here.
As bisjoe has nicely spelled out, it's not the same weather pattern for all parts of Sequim/PA. As a generalization for winter weather in the part of town where we live, we tend to get a little mist/fog or rain in the early morning hours. It burns off (usually) by late morning. We get the random peek of sun off and on and then by mid afternoon it often clouds over again and can drizzle/rain/pour (or snow). This rain tends to let up again (sometimes) by sunset. Wind storms usually happen in the evening or night hours.
If you're really in to weather, check out a book by Cliff Mass (from UW) titled "The Weather of the Pacific Northwest". The author does a nice job of trying to explain our complicated weather patterns!
Sequim really isn't on my list of places to live, but it does seem more suitable for some of my relatives who could follow. My impression is that you won't live in Sequim and think you are in SoCal, but the occasional cloud breaks and "brighter gray" skies could possibly ease the weather impact that one might otherwise experience in Seattle. Some people who find Seattle borderline unbearable might be able to withstand Sequim.
I'll look up the book. If I could just pack up and live up there for a year I would. All I can do is check out a gazillion weather sites and webcams to get as good a picture as I can. Some others on this forum have also sent me some useful links.
Sequim really isn't on my list of places to live, but it does seem more suitable for some of my relatives who could follow. My impression is that you won't live in Sequim and think you are in SoCal, but the occasional cloud breaks and "brighter gray" skies could possibly ease the weather impact that one might otherwise experience in Seattle. Some people who find Seattle borderline unbearable might be able to withstand Sequim.
I'll look up the book. If I could just pack up and live up there for a year I would. All I can do is check out a gazillion weather sites and webcams to get as good a picture as I can. Some others on this forum have also sent me some useful links.
Would be nice wouldn't it to get to go to every place you might want to live We managed a 3 week trip that cost us a FORTUNE to check out as much of WA as we could and even though I saw the areas its down to research and these sorts of forums to find out whatever I can. Good luck to you and your research
I've lived in Sequim for 6 years now, after 9 years in Port Angeles, and there is a definite difference when you get into the "Blue Hole". I did a commute between the towns for a year and if it was raining in PA, it would stop by the time I got to O'Brien Road. We do get plenty of rain in Sequim (and we're heading into a wet spell which will last for a few years, more's the pity),but it tends to be overcast and bright, as opposed to rainy and gloomy. Still, it's far less than the surrounding areas - compare Forks' average 100" of rain a year to our 16".
Hi all. I've been reading the forums and trying to gain information about the weather and living situation is around Sequim & PA. Currently, I'm living in Illinois which I just moved from Upstate NY where I have lived for about 10 years. The weather in NY ranges... the winter is rough where we could get up to 3 to 5 feet of snow in one night, not including the rest after that! lol But, the summers are beautiful, but don't reach past 80's alot of the summer. Snow comes early and tends to stick around longer then you'd want it to. Now that I'm living in Illinois, the weather is different. The winters are cold, icy and we tend to have a few snow storms that will plant a few feet of snow on us but not often. As of today's date we've been experiencing 95 degree weather with a heat index around 106. I grew up in IL and I remember having hot summers but I don't remember having this hot of summers but more of alot of humidity. Though I love my summers, I tend to hate the extremes that we have in weather here and the area is just quit plain with miles and miles of soy and corn fields surrounding us.
But, since I gave you an little info about where I've lived I can now tell you why I'm here in this forum for WA. When my husband and I we're married he was in the military, he moved around alot and we were stationed a few places, here and there for not along time but mostly in Missouri & Upstate NY and over seas for a bit. I'm a paralegal so my work can take me anywhere and make a decent living for myself and my two children. But, I'm looking to get the heck out of IL. Through out the years I've made alot of friends for the NW. Primarily around Oregon up to Seattle and surrounding areas. Even though they said it was rainy and it wasn't more then 70 degrees majority of the summer, they loved it there. Ever since then I've become very interested in the area. Rain doesnt' bother me but I mean I guess if your not from the area all your life or have lived in the area for along time I guess rain can get to anyone. When your from the Midwest, we think of rain as in thunderstorms and nasty windy storms and just a down pour all the time. I'm guessing thats not what its like there when you guys say rain? It wont be for a few more years till I'll be able to move so from now until then I'll be learning more about the area and I plan on visiting the areas and getting a feel for it before I up and move there. lol Thanks for all your posts, there all very helpful!
Even though they said it was rainy and it wasn't more then 70 degrees majority of the summer, they loved it there. Ever since then I've become very interested in the area. Rain doesnt' bother me but I mean I guess if your not from the area all your life or have lived in the area for along time I guess rain can get to anyone. When your from the Midwest, we think of rain as in thunderstorms and nasty windy storms and just a down pour all the time. I'm guessing thats not what its like there when you guys say rain?
You're right, summers here are very easy to love! It's the other 8 or 10 months of the year that can be the problem sometimes. I've experienced some of your Midwestern thunderstorms and torrential rain downpours in times past. Wow! Sure, it can pour rain here too but our winter weather (as well as late fall and spring weather) tends to be a lot more along the lines of prolonged gray skies with drizzle rather than your Midwest intermittent downpours with clear skies in between those hard rains.
As you check out this part of western WA, you'll hear about the famed "blue hole" weather phenomenon that covers a territory from PA/Sequim over to central Whidbey Island and upwards towards the San Juan Islands. A lot of the time this area can and does get more sunshine (at least for part of the day anyway...) than the rest of the Puget Sound region. Much of the time however our lesser annual rainfall simply means that we get less total hard rainfall, with about the same amount of gray skies during the rainy fall, winter and early spring months.
Enjoy your research!
Last edited by Dendrite; 07-20-2011 at 11:30 PM..
Reason: Deleted duplicate post
If you carefully compare the Sunshine and Cloudy Days graphs between Seattle and Sequim, you will see that Sequim actually has LESS SUNSHINE than Seattle and MORE CLOUDY DAYS than Seattle.
Don't believe me? Check it out. The graphs are about a third the way down on each site.
Seattle graphs at [URL]http://www.city-data.com/city/Seattle-Washington.html[/URL]
Sequim graphs at [URL]http://www.city-data.com/city/Sequim-Washington.html[/URL]
I have lived in Sequim since 1997. I work in Port Angeles. Sequim can be very wet at times though usually less that PA and Seattle. There are many micro climates around the area. Some have more wind but it blows the clouds on through so less rain. It never really gets hot here either. For the elderly this is ideal as it is temperate here never getting above 90 and rarely below 20 degrees. On the other hand, the 300 days of sunshine is stretching it as it may peak out but that in my classification is NOT a sunny day! Too wet and windy here for us, we are going to retire elsewhere. Many people move here based on the advertising put out by the chamber and find it is false advertising and are very disappointed. Others that grew up in wetter, cloudier or way snowier climates love it here! It is all in the perspective that you come here with. But what I associate with Sequim is cloudy days unless it is August or September which are absolutely spectacular in my estimation!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
, just kidding. Someone sent me this link 
. But the rest of them seem to be either updated hourly or realtime.
) Still, growing up in Seattle I don't recall these breaks in the weather happening quite as often duing the winter months as they do around here.
