You won't see the sun for 10 months out of the year they said... (Forks: water bill, activities)

[fluffydelusions]

It rained a bit overnight here in Olympia

[dav51lin]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

People do exaggerate but it is gray for long stretches....depresses me every winter. Some are sunnier especially El Nino winters.

yes can get very depressing

[Scrat335]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

It will be gray and dreary almost the entire year they said. The rest of the year, well, forget about it! Don't expect to see the sun at all. And when you do you'll be shocked! Summer doesn't usually start until July then ends quickly in August when once again you're back to gray and rain for the remainder of the year.

While I don't mind gray, rain and fog after living along the coast, I thought some folks characachers of the PNW sounded a bit over the top. Ok, an exaggeration.

All I can say is these 10 months a year dreary weather claims have not rung true. Maybe this year is the 'one' exception to all those others. But somehow, I highly doubt it.





What I have noticed are some sub cultural differences. In the PNW folks that tends to downplay the positives while focusing more on the dreary side when discussing the climate. Is the glass half empty or half full? If it starts out raining and then the sun comes out in the afternoon, is that a crappy weather day? Maybe that explains it in part. But to say the sun never shines for 9-10 months a year really seems like hogwash.

I know, come back in January and see how things look. And hey, if there's no sun all winter I'm ok with that. Just don't tell me not to expect to see it unless in July or August. Because that is simply not accurate.

Derek

I moved to Puget Sound in 1991. From what I remember through the 90s until about 2007 it was 10 months of dreary misery and 2 months of summer. I remember in 96 it started raining just before Thanks Giving and it didn't stop until the 3rd week of July 97. It's just the last decade we've had a lot of nice summers.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by fluffydelusions

It rained a bit overnight here in Olympia

Man, I wish we'd get a little rain down here too.

Although today was very beautiful with just a bit of higher clouds against the blue sky. And sunset was amazing tonight. We're just going to enjoy this unseasonably warm weather while it lasts.









Derek

[StealthRabbit]

You will remember this yr (*2019), when you look back from 2050 wondering will it EVER clear up? Oh, yes... I remember 2019 when I was DYING to get to the rainy season my first yr in PNW.
You won't see the sun for 10 months out of the year they said...

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

You will remember this yr (*2019), when you look back from 2050 wondering will it EVER clear up? Oh, yes... I remember 2019 when I was DYING to get to the rainy season my first yr in PNW.
You won't see the sun for 10 months out of the year they said...

Yes, I'm looking forward to it. At this stage of my life I take everything one year at a time. So I am fully enjoying this one. Like I said earlier, it is most likely the most gradual intro to the PNW anyone has ever had AFAIK.

I will still challenge the notion that the sun only comes out in July and August regardless of what next year brings. So it will be fun to see those climatic variances.

Derek

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

I will still challenge the notion that the sun only comes out in July and August regardless of what next year brings. So it will be fun to see those climatic variances.

Derek

May and June in Portland and Seattle are sunnier than May and June in San Diego on average. And September is usually very nice (except this year). People just have selective memory.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

May and June in Portland and Seattle are sunnier than May and June in San Diego on average. And September is usually very nice (except this year). People just have selective memory.

Even this year WA was more sunny in June than Monterey where we moved from. San Diego along with most of the coastal CA is notorious for May Gray and June Gloom. I've lived along that coast most of my life. The Bay Area gets very foggy during summer months. There have been summers where I've barely seen the sun at all and it can be cold and windy too especially at the beach. Tourists normally visit during summer which is the exact opposite time to enjoy the otherwise mild coastal climate.

There's also the famous quote about this attributed to Mark Twain:

"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

Derek

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Even this year WA was more sunny in June than Monterey where we moved from. San Diego along with most of the coastal CA is notorious for May Gray and June Gloom. I've lived along that coast most of my life. The Bay Area gets very foggy during summer months. There have been summers where I've barely seen the sun at all and it can be cold and windy too especially at the beach. Tourists normally visit during summer which is the exact opposite time to enjoy the otherwise mild coastal climate.

There's also the famous quote about this attributed to Mark Twain:

"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

Derek

I have been to Monterey/Carmel... in June and it was chilly

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

I have been to Monterey/Carmel... in June and it was chilly

Yep, and don't try to go in the ocean during the summer in Monterey.

The craziest thing of all that happened to me this summer was going surfing in Oregon. There was an unusually warm current where the ocean got into the low 60s. One guy was out there surfing with just trunks on! I had envisioned some kind of arctic Eskimo tribe of surfers up here. I actually went one time with a shorty (short arms & legs). The funny part was some locals were totally caught off guard by the warmer water. A number still had booties, gloves, hoods and thick wetsuits. They must have been roasting.





Derek