Seattle vs. Spokane in terms of "oppressive" cloud cover? (weather, year)

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by ca_north

As one who takes AGW seriously, I wouldn't rule out a trend of the PNW getting more cloudy due to more ocean evaporation. It could be a long term thing. Some parts of the world will get hotter and drier while others will get gloomier or snowier.

But who's to say that those trends might not occur in unpredictable ways, given the wholesale changes in climate which seem to be affecting many locations around the world?

Spokane hotter and drier, San Diego gloomier and snowier? Hey, it could happen. Finally those vacant lots in Airway Heights might be worth something, after all, besides locations for future prisons or casinos.

[ca_north]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

But who's to say that those trends might not occur in unpredictable ways, given the wholesale changes in climate which seem to be affecting many locations around the world?

Spokane hotter and drier, San Diego gloomier and snowier? Hey, it could happen. Finally those vacant lots in Airway Heights might be worth something, after all, besides locations for future prisons or casinos.

If there's evidence that Spokane will get notably less gloomy, I'd like to see it. Still, I get the general impression it feels less gloomy than the coastal areas, though your posts are consistently down on the weather!

I looked into this more (source) and climatologists think areas near the PNW coast will get warmer, but there could be more precipitation in some scenarios. Cloudiness isn't specifically mentioned. They are concerned about snowpack reduction, which is already happening around the world.

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by ca_north

If there's evidence that Spokane will get notably less gloomy, I'd like to see it. Still, I get the general impression it feels less gloomy than the coastal areas, though your posts are consistently down on the weather!

Gloom is largely a state of mind. Plenty of Seattle people who bought Microsoft a decade ago and watched their homes appreciate in value five- or six-fold have sunny outlooks on life in general...

[LagunaLady27]

I'm not the OP, but interested in the discussion of the gray skies nonetheless. Is there nowhere in Washington State that sees sunshine more than not?

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by LagunaLady27

I'm not the OP, but interested in the discussion of the gray skies nonetheless. Is there nowhere in Washington State that sees sunshine more than not?

Click on the City-Data.com link, and type in any city in Washington in the Detailed Profile search box (or you can browse by state). Just about any quantifiable information you would want will come up. Scroll down on the page to the graphs dealing with weahter, and you'll get statistics on temps, rainfall, snowfall, and percentage of sunny/cloudy days.

Here's Spokane's sunshine index:



By way of contrast, here's San Diego's...



See why I often seem down on Spokane's gray and gloomy weather? It's really, really bad. That's why.

If you want to find a "sunny" city in Washington , I would recommend Yakima and that whole valley area. I hear Sequim gets some sunshine, too. But they won't let you live there until you demonstrate that you can pronounce it correctly. (Hint: does not rhyme with "the sparkly things on baton twirlers' outfits.".)

[LagunaLady27]

Thanks for the starting point. I have been using the city-data charts, but needed somewhere to start.

[KoriwithaK]

I realize this thread is old, but after living there for three years I can say that the days upon days of clouds are suffocating! And if you consider the sun coming out for less than an hour on any day in the winter a 'sunny' day, which is what I think people do, then more power to ya'! All in all, it's as gloomy as it gets and the freezing temps make it 100x worse.

'Loving' winter is naive. I thought that too, until I moved to Spokane. I could never make it anywhere that has a more intense winter, that's for sure! Being cold for months on end is horrible for one's soul and mind.

Don't visit in the summer, visit in December - Junuary and then tell me what you think.

*and I didn't misspell January...it is what you think: June is as awful as January.

[tickyul]

One thing I really love about Spokane.....the weather is great. This place has a LOT more sun and clear skies when compared to Seattle. The winters are kinda cold, but not THAT harsh..............and the fact that it does not rain all the time.........Spokane weather is much nicer that Seattle's.

[Steord]

Spokane definitely has a flat sheet of grey. Sometimes we go a week without seeing the blue sky. It's very oppressive weather here. it rains all the time. Seattle or portland would be a wiser choice, at least ther is more to do and job opportunities.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Steord

Spokane definitely has a flat sheet of grey. Sometimes we go a week without seeing the blue sky. It's very oppressive weather here. it rains all the time. Seattle or portland would be a wiser choice, at least ther is more to do and job opportunities.

Seriously?

Have you ever lived in Seattle or Portland?

According to to this:

Climate Washington - temperature, rainfall and average

Seattle gets 34" of rain per year, while Spokane gets 16.5"

And according to this map:

https://batchgeo.com/map/us-cities-rainy-days-per-year

Seattle sees an average of 155 rainy days per year, while Spokane sees 112 (including snow, not just rain)

If the argument is that Spokane has oppressive gray skies in the winter, then I can understand that opinion. But an argument that the rainfall in Seattle/Portland and Spokane is similar, so it should be ignored in lieu of job availability, etc, is a ridiculous argument.