The climate......really! (Seattle, Spokane, Sequim: real estate, buyer, live in)

[Photogwest]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

Spokane is so darned cold. If it were even 10 degrees warmer most days, it would be so pleasant.

Look at a map of Washington and ask yourself why everyone lives in Seattle. Sure, it's often gray and gloomy -- but so is Spokane. And Seattle is always that crucial few degrees warmer. Result: Seattle people walk around, often with umbrellas, true, but you nearly always want to get out and go.

Spokane, no matter how hardy you are in the beginning, eventually wears you down, and unless you are prosperous enough to go skiing every weekend, or own a lake home, you end up getting in the car to drive a few blocks to the store like everyone else.

Don't get me wrong -- Spokane can be heart-breakingly beautiful, especially in those perfect autumns which come along every five years or so. But the winters are so long and dreary. And life is so short.

Don't take this as being argumentative, but when it comes to climate discussions, its totally relative. I would kill to experience the kind of weather Spokane is having now. I live in MD - we've had 1 day below 90 degrees so far in July, 15 days over 95 degrees, and 4 days over 100. We hit 106 last Friday and might get close again today. On top of that...the humidity adds 5-10 degrees to the heat index.

You say 10 degrees warmer, I say 10 degrees cooler. Granted, your winters are a little harsher than ours, at least when it comes to temperature. But I'd almost rather have the powdery, drier snow that you have than the freezing rain and ice that we often get here - Not to mention that our recent winters have been worse than normal.

How long are the winters by the way? I've looked at averages on weather sites that show snow is possible between October and April, but the "real" season is Nov-March, right? That seems pretty normal to me. And everyone keeps saying Spokane has 4 seasons

[Swigchow]

Originally Posted by Photogwest

Don't take this as being argumentative, but when it comes to climate discussions, its totally relative. I would kill to experience the kind of weather Spokane is having now. I live in MD - we've had 1 day below 90 degrees so far in July, 15 days over 95 degrees, and 4 days over 100. We hit 106 last Friday and might get close again today. On top of that...the humidity adds 5-10 degrees to the heat index.

You say 10 degrees warmer, I say 10 degrees cooler. Granted, your winters are a little harsher than ours, at least when it comes to temperature. But I'd almost rather have the powdery, drier snow that you have than the freezing rain and ice that we often get here - Not to mention that our recent winters have been worse than normal.

How long are the winters by the way? I've looked at averages on weather sites that show snow is possible between October and April, but the "real" season is Nov-March, right? That seems pretty normal to me. And everyone keeps saying Spokane has 4 seasons

My years in Maryland, I recall, that Autumn especially October were phenomenal. Winters are about the same in Maryland and Spokane, but Summers are definitely worse in Maryland.

[Jet5]

I live in Sequim, WA on the west side of the state. We were lured here by information that stated "300" days of sunshine and that Sequim is in the rain shadow of the Olympics. While Sequim is very beautiful surrounded by mountains and water, it is cloudy, windy and 10 degrees cooler than Seattle. Just because an area gets less rain does not mean it is "sunny". This long lasting cloud cover and this winter's higher than normal wet and rain has us deciding to move to the eastern side of the state. We prefer sunny snow days to damp, dreary foggy and windy days for sure! We have lived here in Sequim 14 years and we are done! Wet cold gets into your bones and joints, with dry cold the lower temps are much easier to handle as you get older. Some people even get gout here due to the damp!

[retirekool]

Originally Posted by redhead

ya this is a right on point; i keep debating about moving back to ca; not so ca....NEVER....but around sacramento; it's fairly afforable there; and no snow; but still with increased taxes it'll still be more expensive to live there then spokane...... :

Red, I'm contemplating making the opposite move -- from sorta near Sacto to Spokane. The biggest factors I'm considering at the moment -- to add a big 12 percent to my fixed annual cashflow by leaving CA taxes; and to live in/close to the pines with 4 seasons but WITH abundant quality infrastructure. It's easy to live in CA close to the pines and swift water, but it's not easy to do that while at the same time being close to abundant modern infrastructure. I'm not sure how I'll handle Spokane's colder winters, but on paper they''re very close to the Sierras, and even a little drier. And of course, housing is about 20 percent cheaper than the Sierras.

[runnerguy45]

I read on wikipedia that the weather in Spokane is dry in the summer and more humid in the winter. I do not like humidity and its one of the reasons I would leave the southeast. I love the dry winters of the west.

Is Spokane humid in winter ?

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by retirekool

Red, I'm contemplating making the opposite move -- from sorta near Sacto to Spokane. The biggest factors I'm considering at the moment -- to add a big 12 percent to my fixed annual cashflow by leaving CA taxes; and to live in/close to the pines with 4 seasons but WITH abundant quality infrastructure. It's easy to live in CA close to the pines and swift water, but it's not easy to do that while at the same time being close to abundant modern infrastructure. I'm not sure how I'll handle Spokane's colder winters, but on paper they''re very close to the Sierras, and even a little drier. And of course, housing is about 20 percent cheaper than the Sierras.

You may have hit on the key to this whole discussion. The additional money that you calculate to have in hand as a resut from leaving Cal and moving to Spokane will just about cover a new wardrobe, which should include lots of Gore-Tex, down parkas and vests, and WinterSilks long underwear (without which Spokane is well-nigh unbearable from November to April or so).

As they say in Norway: "There is no such thing as bad weather; just the wrong clothing!"

Hmm. Maybe that should be Spokane's slogan!

[roneb]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

You may have hit on the key to this whole discussion. The additional money that you calculate to have in hand as a resut from leaving Cal and moving to Spokane will just about cover a new wardrobe, which should include lots of Gore-Tex, down parkas and vests, and WinterSilks long underwear (without which Spokane is well-nigh unbearable from November to April or so).

As they say in Norway: "There is no such thing as bad weather; just the wrong clothing!"

Hmm. Maybe that should be Spokane's slogan!

Back at it again with the cold unbearable winters in Spokane, yel? I've done winters in Spokane, Minnesota, Alaska, etc. and needing long underwear is a RARITY unless you are planning on being out for the entire day playing (i.e. skiing, snowshoeing). I love the way you troll the Spokane forum

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by roneb

Back at it again with the cold unbearable winters in Spokane, yel? I've done winters in Spokane, Minnesota, Alaska, etc. and needing long underwear is a RARITY unless you are planning on being out for the entire day playing (i.e. skiing, snowshoeing). I love the way you troll the Spokane forum

I'm no troll. I just miss Spokane. There's something about finding your windshield covered with ice in October that turns me on. And those iron-hard frozen gray bumpers of ice that line the roads until March? Love 'em. Not as much as the body shops do, though.

Minnesota and Alaska? They have their own forums. They also have Al Franken and (until recently) Sarah Palin, respectively. So they've got problems of their own. Washington has its own political crosses to bear, Senators Patty and Maria. The former is consistently rated the dumbest Senator (and is a midget, to boot); the latter doesn't even exist, except at election time.

But we digress.

You're right about the exaggerated value of long underwear. Of course, that's only true for people who have not yet evolved beyond being covered with fur, and I confess to being mostly hairless. Call me a wimp.

[redhead]

Originally Posted by roneb

Back at it again with the cold unbearable winters in Spokane, yel? I've done winters in Spokane, Minnesota, Alaska, etc. and needing long underwear is a RARITY unless you are planning on being out for the entire day playing (i.e. skiing, snowshoeing). I love the way you troll the Spokane forum

right on!!! i moved here to spokane from montana where you actually DID need long underwear......never have needed it here in spokane or in coeur d'alne when i lived here during the "coldest and snowiest winter in decades" and i'm use to being outdoors during the winter because i get "cabin fever" too quickly to be confined indoors because of cold and snow...........i never once used my heavy duty winter clothes that i wore in montana since i've been in spokane nor when i was in idaho...............
maybe yeladef is homeless and is use to living outdors in the winter; ya then you'd need thermal undies

[Count David]

Originally Posted by redhead

right on!!! i moved here to spokane from montana where you actually DID need long underwear......never have needed it here in spokane or in coeur d'alne when i lived here during the "coldest and snowiest winter in decades" and i'm use to being outdoors during the winter because i get "cabin fever" too quickly to be confined indoors because of cold and snow...........i never once used my heavy duty winter clothes that i wore in montana since i've been in spokane nor when i was in idaho...............
maybe yeladef is homeless and is use to living outdors in the winter; ya then you'd need thermal undies

This is refreshing to hear, actually. I have never spent a winter in Spokane, but have been through four here in Denver, and I have to wear long underwear and thermals several times/winter.

But, people always tell me Spokane's winters are much harsher than Denver's....