typical fall? (Seattle: rental, home, construction)

[LMB]

Was this a typical Puget Sound area autumn? It's been much sunnier and drier than I expected for an area that supposedly has "10 months of winter" and wondered if this fall has been abnormally good or if this is the norm. I also wasn't expecting this much fall color. The trees were absolutely gorgeous! The fall color reminded us of our hometown in central Illinois, with the added bonus of mountains in the background.

My husband and I moved here from Florida in early July, and have had four good weather months so far. I know it won't last much longer, but we've been really surprised that the fall weather didn't curtail any of our outdoor activities or yardwork. It actually helped that I had such low expectations from reading some of the posts here! That kept us motivated to get outside stuff done before winter, which I expected any time after Sept 1.

Lynn

[jwb123]

It doesn't have 10 months of winter. Seattle has 10 months of drizzley gray/cloud cover.

[LMB]

Has this year been different then? We're not in Seattle, but fairly close on Kitsap Peninsula. It might just be perception (I'm not a weather-phobe and the official stats don't mean as much to me as day-to-day livability), but it sure seems like we've had a lot more dry & sunny days than drizzly & cloudy this fall. I was just wondering if this was the norm. This is our first autumn in the Puget Sound area. Thanks for your input!

Lynn

[mayfair]

It was cloudy/rainy earlier in fall and the last month has had been unusually cold and sunny. There have been beautiful Octobers here- some years you get them. Other years the drizzle sets in early and its soggy, gray and moldy.

I'm looking out my window admiring the leaves blowing off the trees- it reminds me of my home in the midwest, too. Every year in the northwest is different-this fall has been great. Glad you're enjoying it!

[StealthRabbit]

This fall started a little colder and wetter than normal, (~ 2weeks of rain in our location, and night temps stayed below 50F which ruined the chances of those who had just seeded their fields / lawns, with the expectation of a nice OCT growing season to establish grass).
Followed by a better (dryer / sunny) than normal Oct and early Nov, so far.... (but still too cold at night to establish plants) Wait a year or two... it will change. You need to endure a few long, gray, dark, cold, and wet spells. For some it is not bad, and even some of my neighbors who work out in the mud (forestry, farming, construction) deal with it fine, but... others are bothered, whether indoor or outdoor folks. You just need to do your normal stuff and not 'cocoon'. I most dislike having leaky cars and fogged windows, and having to repair rental props / barns or prune the orchard or work in garden.

Its nice for one more week, enjoy each moment, and have EVERYTHING under cover, especially firewood, as that is really important, very soon.

Sunsets seem to always be spectacular in Oct, and we even got to see a full moon last week!! (that is fairly rare)

[jwb123]

I have found that, when the fall is more brisk and sunny, the spring, and into summer. is more wet & gray and stays cooler longer too. Definitely enjoy the sun while it lasts! The only "for sure" with the weather is that the cloud cover and drizzle WILL come. You'll make up for it in other months.

[AzDreamer]

This year's Fall has been colder at night and drier than normal, and because of that the leaves have more color.

[CityGirl72]

For every season I have lived here in the last 3 years - my husband has said "this is not normal weather for Seattle"

PS My husband is dying laughing because he answered this post ver batum to what I've written....but he's doing it with a high pitched "make fun of you" voice

[tada]

First half of October was cloudier and rainier than normal, and the second half has been sunny, so much so that for the whole month, it averaged out to about normal. Usually it lies somewhere between those two extremes.

Seattle Climate Data - Monthly Summaries (http://www.beautifulseattle.com/clisumm.htm - broken link)
The last 12 months are not what I'd call typical. They are the epitome of Seattle's weather. Look at the sky condition summary for any month between November 2006 and September 2007. Save for January and May, it's been much cloudier than normal. June 2007 just made me want to pull my hair out. Not even one sunny day; that's crappy even for Seattle. So much so, that I've referred to that time period as a "slump" or similar terms. I just hope the better-than-normal weather we've been having recently is a sign that we've gotten out of the rut.

[Haakon]

It seems like a better than usual fall to me, but coming off our AWOL rainy summer it could be illusion.

November is when the winter storms usually start to hit, get your flashlights, candles, generators and rain gear ready.