Rain Rain Rain?? (Seattle, Bellingham, Ellensburg: condo, credit, homes)

[Tocicely]

Information first hand is always the best way...My family currently lives in SunnyTucson...but..we want desperately to get out of town. I LOVE Washington state, especially Kittitas county...we might have opportunity to move to the Puget Sound area and I just want to know exactly..what the rain, humidity scene is REALLY like...I dont know if I could handle upwards of 90% humidity all the time. Ive heard Seattle weather is actually really nice, except your winters is where it gets rainy and grey. I could handle that..(grew up on Conn) but..before I leave my drier..arid place..I want to be sure of what we might be getting ourselves into..All replys appreciated!!!..Sunshined out in Tucson..

[the dufferz]

Focus more on the grey issue. Cloud cover is the norm, rain comes as a drizzle most of the time (except this winter, where we have been dumped on). Expect this kind of weather from November through May.

The humidity is not like you think of. Due to the mild temperatures, you don't get that hot oppressive 90 degree days with 90% humidity. Happens, but really rare. Normally it's 70-80 degrees with similar humidity, so once you aclimate, it really is comfortable.

Winter humidity will leave you feeling more chilled that you probably would like, until you get used to it. Mold inside homes is a problem if not kept under control for some areas.

I agree. Kittitas rocks, especially the Ellensburg and Cle-elum areas. Some folks live in Cle-Elum and commute to Seattle. More your kind of weather over there.

[Tocicely]

Thanks for the input. Im not sure on a way to make that call....on what to expect, will I hate it? my husband..kids? We are so sunshined out here,well, I am anyways lol.. we always WELCOME cloudy, overcast days,..rainy days as well. I have no idea how it would affect me, to have hmmm, from November to May? of considerable greyness?? Yeah..not sure on that. I guess, as we've done recently with the Denver area..take a trip there and look around, not to say that a visit will give me some test run of several months without the sun...but, just to visit anyways. I literally, have no idea what to expect. I just got back last nights' a matter of fact, from Roslyn long weekend. It was maybe 10 degrees with tons of snow. Heavenly but back to the grind in Tucson. Have no idea when to expect to take a trip to the area. The job possibility wont last forever....and then who knows what we can conjur up. Thanks again. I like to do as much research via the web as possible. First hand experience is always the best information though.
ToCicely....(and yep...thats Cicely, Alaska

[noplacelikeWA]

Rain is not the bad part of western washington weather, it is the damp grey days in between that run on and on and on for weeks at a time (OCT to MAY is more accurate). It is green for a reason and it is the most beautiful part of the US to live July through September. We just moved away to get some sunshine in San Antonio, but we miss the NW a lot.

[Siracides]

@no placelikeWA

Call me crazy but that is exactly what I'm looking for in a place. Love the rain, cloudy cloudy gray days. Too bad I can't afford to live in Seattle😭

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Siracides

@no placelikeWA

Call me crazy but that is exactly what I'm looking for in a place. Love the rain, cloudy cloudy gray days. Too bad I can't afford to live in Seattle��

Try Bellingham. Much more affordable than Seattle, and even rainier and more grey, according to some people. Great hiking nearby, breathtaking views on part of the shoreline, and a good university in town, if you like to attend lectures and concerts.

[dav51lin]

i f u like being iside looking at gloomy outside

[flyingsaucermom]

It's awesome here, but definitely more expensive... just be aware of it... 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft homes in "good" school districts go for above $500k these days. We have a 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft condo (no yard) in my complex offered at $475 this week went pending after 2 days and a few agents have told me homes are closing at 10% more than listing price.

[daberkow]

Seattle is one of the most humid cities in the country. It is a disadvantage on both ends. 45 and wet feels like 25 (but no snow to enjoy). 80 and wet feels like 100. Most people here have Stockholm syndrome and claim they love the cold and wet, but when the temperature gets 80+ they freak out. If weather is a real concern, I'd look elsewhere. We have 2 seasons, really crappy cold grey and drizzly for 10 months and pretty nice for 2. It is gorgeous when the clouds do part though.

[DP79]

The weather in Seattle is really a lot more complex than people give it credit for... Let me explain why:

People say it rains all of the time in Seattle. It doesn't. It mostly rains between October and June, and then July-August-September are practically bone dry. And it doesn't "rain" like you are used to in other parts of the country. It is mostly just a drizzle.

AND... Even when it does rain during the Winter-Spring months, it invariably clears up for a while in the afternoon, which the locals call a "sun break". The sun breaks can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours - hard to predict.

BUT... One thing that is consistent year round is the morning overcast. Whether its Winter or Spring or Summer, Seattle wakes up under a cloud cover nearly every day of the year. You can't escape it. In the Winter, it lasts all day. In the Summer, it is usually referred to as a "marine layer" and burns off around 10am.

SO... You have to learn to live with a good amount of unpredictability in your life. Every day you wake up to a grey, overcast sky and you don't have much faith that it will be brilliantly blue all day or rain all day. The forecasters don't help as much, because they typically list every day in the 10-day forecast as "partly cloudy" or "partly sunny" (duhh...). Seems like a minor detail, but the lack of predictability can make planning a BBQ or Sunday outing or even an afternoon happy hour pretty challenging. Seems to have some psychological effects on the residents.