Spokane, SAD and winter vs MT (Seattle, Kennewick: how much, motel, house)

[JakotaBlues]

Hi everyone - My husband might be able to transfer to Spokane. We've been living in Montana for a number of years after moving here from Texas. We totally love Spokane and everytime I go I feel a lift in my heart. My worry is that I have started to struggle with the winters in MT and want to move somewhere warmer and sunnier. We first moved to Missoula and have been in Kalispell for a couple years now. I was fine the first couple of years. I kept busy and didn't have any severe depression and was glad it was not so hot! Now we've been near Kalispell and it is a small-town with nothing to do. We have a toddler and baby now, so I'm stuck inside so much during the winters. I do try and get out but we need to be home alot too, and it's become so difficult for me to have it feel cold out even into April. Our house doesn't help, which is cold and dark with no sun porch, and we haven't been fixing it up since we know we'll be leaving to move somewhere.

I've looked at a lot of comparisons for Spokane and Kalispell - gray days and temperature - and Spokane seems to be only slightly warmer and sunnier. The growing season is 2 months longer - nearly double though! We were out there winter before last for a week (Feb 2018) and there was no snow on the ground and sun nearly every day. It was great to be able to take the baby for walks and get so hot I had to take my coat off. I cannot get out in the winters here because it's too cold and hard to push a stroller on the snow. Then we were in Spokane in May and it was sunny and warm, compared to Kalispell where it remains very gray most days in spring (summer doesn't start until after July 4).

Does anyone know if Spokane really is that much sunny and warmer than Kalispell, like we've experienced on our trips?
How long is does snow stay on the ground? My husband is claiming it doesn't stick for long since we didn't see any on our winter trip there. We had a great time walking around Manito in the winter!
When would you say spring starts?
Do you get sunny days during winter where you can get out and walk?

Thanks for any comments. I really hope we can move there because we both love it and anywhere else we've looked into - like Oklahoma - seems so blah. I need to pick the right place because my husband will not want to move another time.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If I wanted sunny and dry, Spokane wouldn't be my first choice.


Arizona is what you are looking for, but if it has to be Washington, maybe The Tri-Cities – Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland –


Yes, Spokane gets snow. It varies a lot from year to year how much snow you will get.


If someone suffers from SAD, the closer you can get to the southern border the better. Days in Idaho are very short during the winter. The further south you go, the longer the winter days are.

[509]

Kalispell has the worst weather in Montana. I think it is even worse than Seattle, so it might be the worst weather in the nation!!

That said, I found the Coeur d’Alene, Spokane, Colville area too cloudy for me.

However, a couple of things you can do if you move to Spokane. Find a home around Cheney. The weather is much nicer the farther west you go from Spokane. It is a big difference.

One big advantage to Spokane is that it is close to Tri-Cities and Lewiston. When we lived in the Spokane area we would do trips to Tri-Cities for warm weather. It is only a couple hour drive south, and the weather is usually ten to 20 degrees warmer.

So I would plan on either camping or motel trips particularly in spring and fall.

Likewise, summers in Spokane are wonderful. Take your vacations in winter. Spokane airport has good connections where you can cheaply and easily get out of town in winter.

I like Spokane. Nice city. But the Northwest between Thanksgiving and President’s Day is awful no matter where you live. Need a plan to deal with that time period.

[jeahfoo]

Spokane/CDA is not the place I would choose if you are trying to avoid cold, dark, and grey. I don't know how it compares to Kalispell, but from my experience it starts to really get grey from about early/mid October and goes all the way through about mid May. (Conversely, summers are warm, light, and sunny all the time). I have never lived in a cloudier place than CDA/Spokane. If you look up the statistics, they show that there are on average only about 10-15 more days total in a year that are partly sunny/sunny than Seattle (that's like a week extra at the beginning and end of summer). Weatherspark says Spokane/CDA is cloudy about 75-80% of the time in December/January, and I can attest from experience that it certainly feels that way.

I think you may have just come during some sunny times, which do happen during the winter on occasion. I would recommend taking a trip or two to somewhere warm and sunny during the winters if you do end up here.

[sylentvoyce]

Spokane is sunn(ier) than Kalispell. Not by much, but noticeably so.

I personally love Spokane and can't possibly cheerlead it enough, but, if I were to be realistic; I'd have to concur with everybody else on the board. If it must be Washington State than Tri Cities is your very best bet for mostly continuous sunny and warm weather throughout most of the year.

[Yeledaf]

Keep in mind that although Spokane has its share of strip malls, the Tri Cities IS a strip mall. A bilingual strip mall, true, but still...

[sylentvoyce]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

Keep in mind that although Spokane has its share of strip malls, the Tri Cities IS a strip mall. A bilingual strip mall, true, but still...

Very true. Love it or hate it, spokane has a core, a heart and a soul.

Tri cities seems like it was built strictly for the purpose of business and commercialization.

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by sylentvoyce

Very true. Love it or hate it, spokane has a core, a heart and a soul.

Tri cities seems like it was built strictly for the purpose of business and commercialization.

And the atomic bomb.

[509]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

And the atomic bomb.

The bomb came first!! Interesting note....when the Nagasaki bomb was finally dropped.....the people in Tri-Cities were finally told what they were working on all those years.

I have for years tried to buy the Richland Bombers hat...and it is always sold out!!

[JakotaBlues]

Originally Posted by 509

Kalispell has the worst weather in Montana. I think it is even worse than Seattle, so it might be the worst weather in the nation!!

That said, I found the Coeur d’Alene, Spokane, Colville area too cloudy for me.

However, a couple of things you can do if you move to Spokane. Find a home around Cheney. The weather is much nicer the farther west you go from Spokane. It is a big difference.

One big advantage to Spokane is that it is close to Tri-Cities and Lewiston. When we lived in the Spokane area we would do trips to Tri-Cities for warm weather. It is only a couple hour drive south, and the weather is usually ten to 20 degrees warmer.

So I would plan on either camping or motel trips particularly in spring and fall.

Likewise, summers in Spokane are wonderful. Take your vacations in winter. Spokane airport has good connections where you can cheaply and easily get out of town in winter.

I like Spokane. Nice city. But the Northwest between Thanksgiving and President’s Day is awful no matter where you live. Need a plan to deal with that time period.

Thanks for your comments. I totally agree about Kalispell weather! That's good to know there is a sunny and warmer spot nearby Spokane. That might be enough if I could drive there. I will keep an eye on the weather there. Part of the issue with Kalispell is there is no where to drive to. Once winter comes, you're just socked in and we can't fly often due to the cost and hassle of doing it with little kids. If Spokane is only awful Thanksgiving to Feb, that would be a huge improvement. Do you know if the snow sticks there all winter or tends to melt after a day or two?

I've been reading the forum and see you're not the only one who thinks it's too cloudy (or cold), which gives me pause. I'm not sure if being in a bigger city (I'm from outside of Austin) would make winters easier for me or not!