Which climate would be harder for a coastal Southern Californian to adjust to? Seattle or Miami? (2014, movie theater)

[ABrandNewWorld]

I would personally have a harder time adjusting to Seattle just because of the lack of sunshine. I know their climate is actually closer to California's but I would prefer Miami's climate over Seattle for two reasons:

1) You can hide form humidity by going indoors into the AC and still see the sun through the window. I know you can hide from the damp cold in Seattle by going indoors into a heated building but you still go months without seeing sun. I need sun and warmth for most of the year and even in Miami's summer rainy season, there is plenty of sun during the day.

2) I actually enjoy Southern California's "monsoons" in August and September. The beaches become warm enough to swim comfortably and the nights remain balmy. If we're lucky, we may get an isolated thunderstorm or two somewhere in the L.A. basin on occasion. I can only tolerate gloomy rain in winter if it lasts 2 or 3 days before seeing the sun.

I do hope the drought ends this winter but in a pattern of 1-2 days of steady rain followed by 3-5 days of sunshine before the next rain system comes. I do like the crisp feeling after a cold front where you can sit on the beach (even though the water's too cold to swim in winter) in the sunshine while looking at snow on the top of of the mountains. Even during wet El Nino years, Southern California typically sees sunshine between storm systems and more than 3-4 days of consecutive overcast rain is rare.

I do realize that Seattle has more similar topography to California with it's mountains and bay but its not worth the trade off of continuous gloom. It looks like some others share my opinion while others would take gloom and damp chill over humidity. IMO, Seattle only has 2-3 months of pleasant weather while Miami has about 6 months of pleasant weather which is also a factor.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mateo45

Perhaps one telling thing is the number of folks here who've actually moved from CA to Seattle, and that at least a few of them have enjoyed it. Yet somehow I don't recall ever hearing of anyone moving from CA to Miami and then saying that they liked it (in fact most seem to be quite emphatically of the other pov)!

//www.city-data.com/forum/miami...a-what-do.html

Some of us haven't moved to Seattle for reasons stated. Some of us have moved to Miami in the past and then moved out.

Some of you just wish to argue.

Oh well!

[SandyCo]

I'd choose humidity and sunlight over cold, damp darkness. When the San Fernando Valley gets the cloud cover in May and June, I look forward to it, because it's Mother Nature's air conditioner. Living with those conditions through an endless winter in Seattle would be totally different. Besides, I like actual rain, real storms! None of this wimpy drizzle and mist, please!

I remember in 1978, it started raining on Christmas Day and I'm almost positive that it rained every day until the middle of April! To this day, songs from that time period remind me of being cold and wet (I always walked to and from school).

[509]

I think I am with the guy that would just slit his wrists and end it if faced with that choice.

I recently spent a month in the Yucatan. Not sure I could handle living there, unless I had beachfront property. That might make it tolerable.

I moved from Berkeley to Vancouver, Canada. It is a much nicer city than Seattle, but the weather is just as awful. After eight months I had enough and left.

The advantage to Seattle is that you are only two hours away from the sunshine and warm weather of eastern Washington. But everybody has discovered that in Seattle, so every weekend you will sit in traffic for hours trying to return home.

Currently, about 50% of the homes in Chelan and Okanogan County are owned by western Washington residents. I am sure they are coming over for the weather. People are even buying in-town homes as second homes in Wenatchee!!

The weather in eastern Washington is just as bad as Seattle from Thanksgiving through President's Day so I would just plan on winter vacations somewhere south during that time.

The Northwest is going through a horrible drought right now. In Wenachee, our precipitation is down by almost 50% from eight inches a year to ONLY 4.5 inches this past year!!

If you don't have to live in Seattle I would just move east of the Cascades like thousands of other western Washington residents.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

This native NorCal, who moved to SoCal the minute I turned 18, not to return until my late 20s, says Miami would be the more difficult adjustment. Continental Semi Tropical Climate is a far cry from Mediterranean whereas Marine West Coast is merely our neighbor. It's like moving from Northwestern Morocco to Taiwan vs Northwestern Morocco to Northern France.

Excellent comparison!

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Some of us haven't moved to Seattle for reasons stated. Some of us have moved to Miami in the past and then moved out.

Some of you just wish to argue.

Oh well!

You're the one that's arguing. I am willing to bet that if you took a survey of Californians who moved to Seattle over Miami, which would have a higher number of people who stayed?

Anyway, with that being said, it does depend on the person to a large degree. Think of it this way; if you were not at all bothered by the heat and stifling humidity we had at the end of summer in Socal recently and if you could remember the hottest and most humid day and imaging it being that way for 8 or 9 months and all you can think to say is eh, then Miami might work for you.

On the other hand, if you can remember our last coldest, I mean coldest for Socal rainy day that was also very gloomy and imagine it being like that for 8 or 9 months straight with only occasional sunny days which are still chilly thrown in and this does not phase you, then Seattle would work for you.

The other thing to consider is how much of a shock you're also willing to tolerate. Like Bayareahillbilly said, Seattle's climate is perhaps our closest climatic neighbor as it too has mild to warm summers with little precipitation. Miami's climate is a whole continent away both physically and figuratively.

[capoeira]

I would love to move to Miami but I wouldn't because of the unbearably hot weather. I love cloudy Seattle weather but want nothing to do with anything else in that city. Which is worse, being in a city you dislike with weather you like, or being in a city that you like with weather that you hate?

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I lived in the PNW for 18 years, but grew up in the SF Bay Area. Went to WA after high school. I HATE the weather up there.

But, I also lived in TN for 5 years, and I REALLY HATE humidity. So much so, that if I had no choice but to either move to sunny but humid Miami, or gloomy PNW, I'd run to the PNW.

People say it's humid by the west coast, and on a weather forecast it will show a fairly high humidity sometimes. But, it's nothing like the kind of humidity in the south, where the air is so moist that as soon as you leave the house, you have a sheen of sweat under your clothes. And forget about your hair. Whether you straighten it, or try to curl it, it will end up the opposite by the time you get to your car.

Whoever said you can survive it because of air conditioning forgot to include that unless you never leave your house, you will have to get from the air conditioning in A to B through a wall of humidity.

And the Bugs that go along with that climate! Yikes!

Anyway, I voted that it would be more difficult to deal with Miami humidity than Seattle clouds, for someone used to living in CA.

[OptimusPrime69]

Having grown up in Miami I'm so used to the heat and humidity that I don't even give it a second thought. Even today in the middle of October it's muggy and hot out, but the sun is shining and the palms are swaying.

I think the PNW is gorgeous though. So gorgeous, but then again I've only been there in the Summer when it was relatively pleasant.

I've been to San Diego many times and found it quite chilly there too. . I kinda missed the warm balmy nights of Miami...and the fact that I always needed a sweater at night in San Diego...in the Summer even took some getting used to...Not that it was so hard to get used to, but being that I always seemed to forget mine when going out and about I'd freeze and be annoyed. San Diego's climate was chilly to me.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Having grown up in Miami I'm so used to the heat and humidity that I don't even give it a second thought. Even today in the middle of October it's muggy and hot out, but the sun is shining and the palms are swaying.

I think the PNW is gorgeous though. So gorgeous, but then again I've only been there in the Summer when it was relatively pleasant.

I've been to San Diego many times and found it quite chilly there too. . I kinda missed the warm balmy nights of Miami...and the fact that I always needed a sweater at night in San Diego...in the Summer even took some getting used to...Not that it was so hard to get used to, but being that I always seemed to forget mine when going out and about I'd freeze and be annoyed. San Diego's climate was chilly to me.

I've heard other Floridians say this even a few I once worked with. This paints a really good picture for native Californians. If Floridians find a Socal city chilly, then Miami would be hell on earth for a Socal native. I think one has to be a Florida native to really enjoy that climate, at least in most cases.