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I'm from Columbus, OH and heard somewhere that we actually get more rain than Seattle. Anyone have experience with living in these two cities and want to compare? Which one is cloudier, rainier, has nicer winters, summers, etc...
I'm from Columbus, OH and heard somewhere that we actually get more rain than Seattle. Anyone have experience with living in these two cities and want to compare? Which one is cloudier, rainier, has nicer winters, summers, etc...
Haven't been to either place but based on available data, Columbus has somewhat more precipitation but has slightly more sunshine. Both places have very similar annual average temperatures but of course Columbus is much colder in the winter and hotter in the summer. So which one wins depends a lot of what you prefer. Personally I'd choose Columbus.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Here in Seattle we get about 40" of rain, but it's very light, almost mist that lasts from September through July 4th. Othe cities that get more rain often get it concentrated into a few months with more sun the rest of the year.
We really appreciate July and August here, when it's sunny and clear, not too hot, no humidity and no smog. No one has sprinkler systems, as we only need to water the lawn 1-2 times a year and it remains green.
Here in Seattle we get about 40" of rain, but it's very light, almost mist that lasts from September through July 4th. Othe cities that get more rain often get it concentrated into a few months with more sun the rest of the year.
We really appreciate July and August here, when it's sunny and clear, not too hot, no humidity and no smog. No one has sprinkler systems, as we only need to water the lawn 1-2 times a year and it remains green.
PNW summers will appeal to almost anyone except the thermophiles. But the flip side is that the season is fairly short - as you said not much longer than two months. You must really cherish every single gorgeous day in July and August because before you know it will be September.
While East Coast summers are relatively hot and humid, we do experience similar pleasant weather intermittently during late spring and early fall.
Yeah Seattle isn't as bad as most people think it is. Near 2200 hours of sunshine is pretty good for maritime climate. If the US wasn't such a sunny country overall, Seattle wouldn't have the reputation that it does.
The only real problem with Seattle is that its sunshine is heavily weighted towards the summer months, leaving Nov-Feb almost completely devoid of sun.
I wish the US had sunshine data available. It would be interesting to see just how cloudy Seattle apparently is. Looking at this month and last month, looks as though there were a few sunny/partly cloudy days mixed in, so I doubt it isn't as gloomy as it seems.
Yeah Seattle isn't as bad as most people think it is. Near 2200 hours of sunshine is pretty good for maritime climate. If the US wasn't such a sunny country overall, Seattle wouldn't have the reputation that it does.
The only real problem with Seattle is that its sunshine is heavily weighted towards the summer months, leaving Nov-Feb almost completely devoid of sun.
From what I have read that seems to be what hurts the PNW the most: The zones that are just to the south of it are steppe climates…that grade into true deserts. In the distance from Seattle to central Nevada (say Tonopah), one goes from a climate with around 40 inches of rainfall…to one with 5 inches of rainfall in less than 600 miles. If you look at a map of hours of sunshine in the three winter months (by far the cloudiest months of the year)…the area around Seattle is not much worse than the Great Lakes. The only difference is the Great Lakes seem to get more sun in the spring and fall (summers are close everywhere). Here is the normal number of hrs for Feb:
I think the difference in cloudiness between Seattle and the Ohio Valley/Lower Great Lakes would be most noticeable in the spring and fall. There seems much less a difference in summer/winter.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bisjoe
Here in Seattle we get about 40" of rain, but it's very light, almost mist that lasts from September through July 4th. Othe cities that get more rain often get it concentrated into a few months with more sun the rest of the year.
We really appreciate July and August here, when it's sunny and clear, not too hot, no humidity and no smog. No one has sprinkler systems, as we only need to water the lawn 1-2 times a year and it remains green.
Actually you get rain all year round in the East, while in Seattle you've got dry summers.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMarbles
Yeah Seattle isn't as bad as most people think it is. Near 2200 hours of sunshine is pretty good for maritime climate. If the US wasn't such a sunny country overall, Seattle wouldn't have the reputation that it does.
The only real problem with Seattle is that its sunshine is heavily weighted towards the summer months, leaving Nov-Feb almost completely devoid of sun.
Yes, I think gloom is worse when it's cold as well. Seattle is as sunny as places like Toronto, Paris or Melbourne.
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