America's rainiest cities! (average, earthquakes, temperature, precipitation)

[TheHarvester]

The list of "rainiest cities" has to be taken with a grain of salt. Total precipitation doesn't mean "most days with rain." When it rains in the south, it rains HEAVILY and then it tends to clear up. I know the Pacific NW very well and it's an extremely gloomy region with tons of drizzle and heavy overcast.

Also, this isn't taking topography into account. While Seattle itself only gets about 38 inches of rain per year (barely more than Austin), the western slopes of the Olympics can reach up to 150 inches of rain and the west slopes of the Cascades aren't far behind.

Even in California there are places that average over 100 inches per year.

Having said all that, what does it mean? Not much! It depends on how it's distributed and how it affects your choice of lifestyle and environment. Hayfork, CA, might get 100 inches of rain but it happens in the space of 6 months, then you can bet on lots of sunny weather.

Summers in Seattle are about as close to heaven as anything I've ever experienced on earth, hence I've spent the better part of my last 2 summers visiting family and friends there. But I can't stand the thought of dealing with those 8-month drizzle seasons. I'm too prone to depression.

[nanannie]

Yes,Harvester,I lived in Portland where it could rain for weeks- constantly.But it was a light drizzle much of the time,Still grey and cloudy and dark,but not a downpour.I dont remember ever having those great thunder and lightning storms.I think if people dont read that article carefully,they will come away thinking the PNW has beautiful weather

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Originally Posted by unknown stuntman

Then perhaps an umbrella in one hand daily isn't such a bad way of life.

Umbrella? What's that?

Dealing with the weather here is simple:

October 15th - June 10th (or whenever the Rose Festival Parade happens): Bring a thin, hooded Columbia jacket with you at all times. Be thankful that the weather is perfect for running, hiking, soccer, and lots of other outdoor heart-healthy activities. Be thankful that you don't have to shovel snow or freeze to death (unless you go up to ski nearby Mt. Hood or Mt. Bachelor). Try to get a little light exposure (natural or otherwise) during the day. Take a trip to someplace warm and sunny in the early spring. Smile.

June 10th - October 15th: Put away the jacket and enjoy four months of 70-80 degree weather, sunny skies, no humidity, and perfect scenery.

I have to laugh at all the people who bemoan the "extremely gloomy" Pacific Northwest weather (no offense meant to anyone who actually said that). It definitely isn't for everyone, and yes it's nice to get away from the long stretches of grey once in awhile (as you can tell from my name, I hit AZ every March ). But I've been all over this great country and most every place has its periods of uncomfortable weather, and I'd take the PNW over most anyplace (the Southern California coastline would be my first choice from a year round weather standpoint).

[moot]

There is a town called Quillayute in the Pacific Northwest which averages 105 inches of rain annually. It's around the Olympia National Park area.

There are patches in Northern California and Southern Oregon (Namely, the city of Astoria) which average 150+" of rain annually.

[yukon]

Maybe the article should have been titled, "Wettest Cities"? My mom lives in Mobile and I went to school there, and while it does rain a lot, there's a lot of sunshine as well. The rain comes down in short but often heavy bursts, as opposed to constant drizzle and clouds that other parts of the country have. I was surprised that Mobile topped the list.

[ken.k-la]

I live in a suburb of Vancouver, BC, and yes it is quite overcast, in fact, we have had 6 days in a row of rain, probably going to be 7 by tomorrow....but thankfully Tuesday onwards looks dry. Vancouver and Seattle themselves are not the rainiest places in North America, but the suburbs along the foothills and in the valleys are much rainier. For example, where I live we get around 13 more inches of rain a year than Vancouver. It is usually grey and quite depressing outside. We only get around 130 days or so of sunshine, so approximately 2/3rds of the year is cloudy and drizzly/rainy. Pretty much (to generalize) we are sunny in May (usually), July, August, September, and if we are lucky the first couple weeks of October. What unknown stuntman said "constantly gray and drizzly for 6 months" is pretty accurate. In November of last year, we had 3 days with sun, and those were the three days that highs were WELL below zero and we had one of our rare (though this last winter it wasn't so rare) very cold spells. Summers here are amazing though, and probably the only reason people put up with it here, oh, that and the natural beauty. But, alas, I want to leave to a place with a sunnier/drier climate.

P.S Here in the Fraser Valley, we get approx. 57 inches of rain a year

[sweetclimber]

Look at all the Florida cities, I knew that it was not as sunny in Florida as people try to pretend it is!

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by ken.k-la

P.S Here in the Fraser Valley, we get approx. 57 inches of rain a year

Wow, 19 more than Seattle's official recording station (though parts of Seattle surely get more.)

The variation in rainfall on the west coast is amazing. In northern California, the wettest and driest places are located about an hour from each other. On an upslope of the Trinity-Siskiyou mountains lies Orleans (as I recall the name), which is the wettest, and on the other side of those same mountains the rain shadow creates the driest place north of the Bay Area.

But the complexity of the Pacific Northwest is even more mind-boggling. Little banana belts are scattered all about, rain forests are abundant within an easy drive of places that get less than 20 inches of rain (like the Sequim - Port Angeles - Port Townsend area on the Olympic peninsula), and each little valley or hill seems to have its own microclimate.

[ken.k-la]

Originally Posted by TheHarvester

Wow, 19 more than Seattle's official recording station (though parts of Seattle surely get more.)

But the complexity of the Pacific Northwest is even more mind-boggling. Little banana belts are scattered all about, rain forests are abundant within an easy drive of places that get less than 20 inches of rain (like the Sequim - Port Angeles - Port Townsend area on the Olympic peninsula), and each little valley or hill seems to have its own microclimate.

It is insane how many microclimates there actually are, for example, across the river from where I live, their annual rainfall is 4 inches less than where I live (approx. 7 miles away). Some areas of Langley (another suburb) vary much more. For example, one winery literally a mile away from the other gets 3 more inches of rain than the other, and has temperature differences of a few degrees fahrenheit, and it is a ONE MILE DIFFERENCE!! However, the Bay Area also has a huge difference in temperatures and rainfall, many microclimates there too......I myself wouldn't mind living there if it weren't so expensive, I honestly think the South Bay would be great. I love the climate (on paper at least) of San Jose, or Los Gatos.

[Poloxskier]

Originally Posted by TheCaptain

Ha! Seattle's not the rainiest...well, what do you know?

Seattle nor Mobile are anywhere near close to being the rainiest, this study only looked at the lower 48 states, the rainiest city in North America is Ketchikan, Alaska which recieves an average rainfall of 164" per year of rain or just over 13.5 FEET. And the weather overcast and cooler much like Seattle just much more often and with more rain falling.