Seattle Weather/Climate Thread (Bothell: live, trees, place)

[homesinseattle]

Bottom line, get outside, stay active year round, exercise, hike, you'll be fine. Most everyone I know like that (pretty much all of my friends) do just great. I'm from Miami originally, here 26 years. I wouldn't move back for $2 million, $10 million maybe

[misscross]

Originally Posted by Millenial Hippy

Is it true Seattle winter temps are usually between, say, 35 and 60?

generally speaking, yes. in the summer it's hotter than 60 obviously but never humid.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

newcomers from AC-dependent states, in that the vast majority of houses, apartments, and businesses, as well as many cars, don't have it.

Unless it's a very old car, all newer cars (newer than 2000) have AC.

[Millenial Hippy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Major debate has broken out here before on the question of whether the rain is heavy or just mist/drizzle. I'll leave that question for now, except to say there can be both. Especially in El Nino years, it can get messy.

Seattle's climate is changing, as is the climate all over the world. There have been major untimely heat waves in more recent years. Last summer it was in the 90's for most of June, JUNE! That's alarming. The prognosis for the future by the climatologists is: more rain in fall/winter, dryer and warmer in the summers.

That said, in the near future it will still be more pleasant in the summers than anywhere in the south or southwest (AZ, NM, TX). There's usually a cold snap in winter that's below your comfort zone, but it usually doesn't last more than a week, if that. Snow is involved, bringing chaos to traffic unaccustomed to dealing with that. But with a warming climate, that may be relegated to history.

The thing to be aware of in winter is that the days are very short. It's dark by 4:30 p.m. You go to work in the dark, and you get off work and go home in the dark. A good way of dealing with the winter gloom is to get out on weekends and take advantage of ski opportunities. Some people need special lamps in the house, or ionizers to boost mood.


How's your employability? What field are you in?

I'm working on a degree in anthropology but right now I'm unemployed

[RustinginSeattle]

Originally Posted by poopskooper

I guess there are now times in the winter that it gets to 60-degrees but it never seemed to get close to that decades ago in the winter. I always used to say that the typical winter weather is 40-45 degrees and rain, mist, or low overcast. That's the way I remember it as a kid. For me as a boomer and now considered an "old person," it is absolutely miserable to go outside whenever it rains and the temperature is below 40-degrees ...or 45 degrees for that matter. Now that the temperatures in general are much warmer than they were when I was growing up in Seattle in the 1950s, yes, many still find it uncomfortable in the winter when it's overcast the majority of the time especially with the limited amount of light to begin with. Also, it snows a lot less and doesn't stay below freezing for multiple days in a row any more. I said in another thread how I remember Green Lake freezing over several times when growing up ...and a three foot snow drift against our house. That never happens anymore.

Do you get used to it? I suppose but here's my story: after spending the majority of my life in the Seattle area (born, raised, and spent the majority of my working life in Washington, I couldn't wait to move to a sunnier climate. So when we retired, we moved to the southern Nevada desert. However, after spending the majority of ten years in the desert, we now find ourselves planning to spend the remainder of our years back in western Washington.

I guess it's "the grass is always greener" syndrome (but opposite in reality ) as we found the desert southwest the exact extreme opposite of the climate in Seattle. It was so dry and the sun so intense ...and just so much sunshine, that it was overwhelming. There are some nice things about the desert southwest but the extreme dryness and relentless sun is difficult to take year around.

So we are embarrassingly coming back to where we started (I say embarrassingly because we bragged to our friends when we retired that we're getting out of this damp and dreary climate for fun in the sun!! ...and now we trudge back). It is where we were both born and raised ...back to beautiful western Washington. Cold rain and perpetually cloudy skies, though not the most ideal, is better in our opinion than living year around in the desert.
~amanda

Why does it have to be Seattle or the desert? There are so many places in the US. Is there a reason you have to come back here because you don't like the desert?

Just wondering.

[dav51lin]

Originally Posted by franklin42

It has been mostly sunny since March.

no it has not been clouydy and rainy

[Botev1912]

It has been mostly sunny since end of March with a few cloudy days in May and June. It's also been really dry since late March. Today is the first cloudy day in July. Here is the official data.

[cp7teen]

Im visiting Seattle this weekend, not old enough to rent a car, but what are some neat places to visit ? Where can I meet people and whats the night life like?

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by cp7teen

Im visiting Seattle this weekend, not old enough to rent a car, but what are some neat places to visit ? Where can I meet people and whats the night life like?

First, start a new thread with your query. This is a climate thread, as in weather, that doesn't get much action.

Light rail will take you downtown from the airport, which should be fun.

[KnightStar05]

How is the weather for outdoor activities with little ones? We are transplanting from Reno and it was too cold in the winter and now it's too hot during the summer to play outdoors. Is it, for the most part, outdoor friendly?

Also, will we be needing to supplement with Vitamin D due to lack of sun?