More sunshine, where in the south of Mt Vernon does it begin? (Seattle: real estate market, live)

[wheregirl]

Hello,

I have read that Mt. Vernon, unlike the Seattle area, has lots of sunshine. Where in the south of Mt. Vernon do you start to get more sunny? Are Stanwood or Arlington sunny as well?

What makes some of these areas more sunny? Are the towns in the mountains sunny or rainy?

What are some of the more sunny cities of Wa? Thanks!

[AzDreamer]

What you have probably read is misleading real estate marketing propaganda. There is no place in Western Washington that has lots of sunshine. There are areas with less rain and while you might think that means they are sunny that isn't the case.

http://www.wamaps.com/maps/precipitation_map.gif

[wheregirl]

No it is true that Mt Vernon has a lot more sunshine, that is why they can grow all those tulips.

If you look at this link you see that the sunshine varies even in the Seattle area. So will some locals that have lived in the sunny pockets let us know?

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/...pctposrank.txt

Thanks.

[wheregirl]

Hello,

If you look at this link, you can see that the amount of sunshine varies greatly among different areas in Wa. Even in Seattle area it varies from 47% to 43%, and in Spokane it is 57%.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/...pctposrank.txt

What are some of the sunnier towns, villages or cities of the Wa State?

Thanks.

[MichaelinWA]

According to their tourism ads, the Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland) get 300+ sunny days a year.

[David Aguilar]

I would think anywhere within the Cascades' rain shadow would have to be pretty sunny. So, anywhere in Western WA would be out.

My guesses:
Omak
Wenatchee
Quincy
Moses Lake
Yakima
Tri-Cities
Ritzville

So basically, Central Washington. It's pretty arid/deserty.

[pw72]

I didn't see the Tri-Cities on that list, so it is somewhat incomplete based on population...but I will say that the Tri-Cities is the driest, most sunny metro area in WA, hands down. My educated guess is it would be up there at about 70-75% of possible sunshine. Something like 7 inches of rain per year, and most of that during the winter and spring. Just be prepared for 10-20 days above 100 every year.

[David Aguilar]

You would think somebody seeking sunshine would think to look in other states before they looked in WA.

[PaintedScribbles]

Washington state has a couple of different geographical areas. Eastern Washington, East of the Cascads has hot dry summers and cold, snowier winters. Western Washington is milder temperature and definately more cloudy days then Eastern Washington. Dry side and wet side. They are very distinctly different regions.

Within Western WA there are micro climate areas that benefit (or NOT!) from being in the rain shadow of the Olympic mountains. Sequim is a great example - it gets very little rain, around 15" a year - compare that to Forks (home of Edward!) which gets a huge amount of rain as it borders the rain forest and is not protected by the rain shadow of the Olympics. Out on the Olympic Pennisula coast, there is a genuine rainforest and some areas get more then 150" a year.

I lived in Mt Vernon for a year and one of my best friends lives there now. It gets a little less rain then some of the storm convergence zones, but it is not Palm Springs. The important thing to remember is that the Puget Sound region doesn't so much get ALOT of rain as it gets it in small quantities more frequently. Mt Vernon gets around 35" versus Seattle's 40" of rain. Compare that to other cities - 40" of rain a year isn't that much, it is just that there are alot of overcast days... or days with clouds in the morning and sun in the afternoon... that type of thing.

If overcast skies bum you out, live somewhere else. If moderate temperatures appeal, you like outdoorsy stuff and lots of mountains and bodies of water, you might like it. I hope that helps.

[StealthRabbit]

South of Mt Vernon (and west of Cascades), I would say more sunshine starts about Sutherlin or Roseburg, OR