Seattle Weather/Climate Thread (living in, area, places)

[CarawayDJ]

It's all a matter of perspective. I don't think anyone from Buffalo, NY would blink an eye at the weather in Seattle. There are plenty of places in the US, and especially the world with nearly as bad or even worse weather. They just don't talk about it as much.

[eskercurve]

There is a sticky about weather. Moderator cut: rude

the answer to your question is "maybe."

[Blindtom]

Go to Seattle in July and August, and then give us your opinion vs Atlanta.

[The Siobhan]

I am presently back in Illinois with family and it is currently 82 degrees and we have the fans on because of the humidity. It is technically still winter.

Give me dark, gloomy, and misty any day.

Also, must throw this out there about the rain - it rains more (per inch) in Chicago, Houston, and New Orleans. You don't get the dramatic rain storms like you do in the midwest or the south. I'd describe it like walking into a wet breeze.

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by CarawayDJ

It's all a matter of perspective. I don't think anyone from Buffalo, NY would blink an eye at the weather in Seattle. There are plenty of places in the US, and especially the world with nearly as bad or even worse weather. They just don't talk about it as much.

But look at the number of only partly cloudy days as compared to here. They get way more, and days that are partly cloudy are gorgeous. I pretty much consider them as sunny.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by cjg5

40 degrees here is 40 degrees of humidity. It feels worse to me than 20 degrees of dry air. Perhaps in Eastern Washington it would be a different story, where the air is drier, but in Seattle, forget about shorts in 40 degree weather. It's just too damp (humid, even if it isn't raining) for it. A dry 40 here is pretty rare.

Different perspectives. I've gone cycling in cold, damp weather. The temperatures have little effect on me. It feels alright to me. I can even deal with the moisture around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The biggest problem for me is WIND. I can deal with it being as cold as sub-zero temperatures. 0 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind is better than 40 degrees F with 35 mph winds.

[cjg5]

To clarify what I said, a dry 20 F is actually pretty comfortable to me. A humid 40 F doesn't feel as comfortable. But you brought up a very good point. The wind does also make things worse, especially in damp conditions. That humidity, especially when windy, slices through you like a knife and chills you to the bone. A dry 20 F or even lower just doesn't do that. I unloaded a truck once in 17 F and the air was dry. I felt just fine and comfortable. I've also unloaded a truck in a damp 40ish F several times. Always a miserable experience.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by cjg5

To clarify what I said, a dry 20 F is actually pretty comfortable to me. A humid 40 F doesn't feel as comfortable. But you brought up a very good point. The wind does also make things worse, especially in damp conditions. That humidity, especially when windy, slices through you like a knife and chills you to the bone. A dry 20 F or even lower just doesn't do that. I unloaded a truck once in 17 F and the air was dry. I felt just fine and comfortable. I've also unloaded a truck in a damp 40ish F several times. Always a miserable experience.

Your experience sounds similar to one I had. When I was in high school, the Atlanta area had a nasty cold blast which gave us a nasty snow/slush combination. That was followed by a very cold morning, where it hit 8 degrees F. It was a sunny morning. I went outside with a sweater and a shirt underneath. it was cold, but it was bearable because it was sunny and no wind.

Contrast this with some of the events I had in 2010. It was getting close to winter. It wasn't bitterly cold at all. However, it was moist and chilly. I could deal with moisture and cold. The wind was my problem. I had to do some class projects in the GIS lab. It is located on the far west part of campus. I live off campus and slightly northeast from it. I technically live a mile away from campus, but I had to navigate going from the lab to my apartment. It is important to note that my bicycle is my mode of transportation. The wind was literally howling and cutting through me. I felt like I was going to be airborne.

Moisture in cold weather can be a bother however, I've run track in that weather. It isn't that great, but with no wind, I worked up a sweat. If it was windy, that would be the killer.

[Inkpoe]

This question gets asked sooo much, Moderator cut: see note The answers remain the same... yet people continue to ask as if they'll get a different answer.

If you're the type of person that puts that much stock into the weather-- then doesn't it already answers your question?

If you think you might not be able to handle it, then stay out.

If you're looking for a change of life, can adjust and want all the benefits that Seattle offers, then come in.

If it doesn't work for you... then do what you can: Move out or change your frame of mind.

[Lamplight]

I've noticed that humidity doesn't seem to affect me much at colder temperatures, but it makes warmer weather miserable to me. If anything, a humid 40F here feels a little warmer to me than a dry 40F did in TN, though I don't know why or how. But a (relatively) dry 75F here feels great to me, whereas 75F in TN in the spring was always rather uncomfortable.