Rate the climate you currently live in (2013, places, frost)
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C-, the winters are good but fall and spring have a ton of temperature swings, and the summers are terribly hot and humid. Luckily, the swings tend to not be too severe during the warmer parts of spring and fall, and the rainfall is at a good amount.
I haven't lived here for long enough to tell and don't have enough first hand experience (looking at a chart is not enough), but so far I would probably rate it a B.
If I had to do it on my home city, which is Lyon, I would probably rate it a B as well ! B+ or B- depending on years (and sometimes C)
Both have quite similar climates, but Lyon has the advantage of being overall dryer and more varied with more swings in temperatures, while Bologna is more reliable and with more stable summers with slightly higher temperatures in that season. Lyon has more wind and changeable conditions while Bologna can have the exact same weather for two weeks straight, which is almost impossible in any place in mainland France.
For some reason I also feel it always feels a bit colder here for the same temperature, especially in the colder half of the year, because of the higher humidity which I have yet to get accustomed to. 2015 has been remarkably dry so far though.
It must be noted that although I do not live in Bowling Green, its climate is very similar to my own; it's fairly close to where I live and is the most similar climate to mine that has an official NWS station.
Bowling Green, KY is an overall good, but not great, climate. It's biggest positives are an ideal amount of precipitation, very good summers with lots of thunderstorms and and hot, but not unbearable, temperatures, and it's prone to both extreme heat and cold on occasion. It's biggest weaknesses are too-mild average winter temperatures and a dearth of snowfall.
Winter mean / Summer mean / Seasonal range / Precip / Seasonal lag / Snowfall / Record range*
76 / 89 / 81 / 98 / 100 / 67 / 92
For comparison, Nashville, TN: 85.4% / B
Nashville is physically closer, but due to the basin it is in and the urban heat island effect, is slightly warmer than my location. By most measures, it's slightly worse than my location, but does have slightly better summers.
That said, I give Edmonton an E. The only thing saving it from being an F is that the summers are nice. They're not perfect though--not warm enough and far too short.
The real problem of course is the winters. It's not just that they're cold--other places are far colder on average--it's the variability. We are prone to low-grade thaws which do nothing but create ice build up and interfere with efforts to actually enjoy the winter. We do not get the genuine Chinooks that southern Alberta gets and which create a real break in the winter; the thaws are just a nuisance. I'd much prefer consistent winter weather.
I'd say Seattle is more good than bad in terms of climate but mediocre nonetheless. The main problem is that summers are too cool and dry with virtually no humidity or thunderstorm activity. Wildfires have occurred in recent years due to lack of summer rain. Spring and fall are too cool as well. Winters are too cloudy and slightly too cool. The weather overall also needs to be less boring with more changeable temperatures and heavy downpours while also having less monotonous drizzle in winter.
Variable, dry and stormy summers with some adequate heat—and even the occasional summer snowfall; cold, damp, squally and snowy winters, with constant >gale-force winds (>Force 9 Beaufort Scale). Splendid latitude, too.
All it needs for A+ is much hotter Summer highs; ~31° C instead of ~23° C, that is to say
Nearest BOM station to me would be Kiandra, NSW (1,395 m AMSL; 36° S); since my property only straddles 1,280 m AMSL, adding ~2° C to Kiandra's annual temperatures and decreasing ~300-400 mm of annual precipitation should be accurate enough. My record lows would also be quite a lot warmer, as Anglers Reach/Lake Eucumbene does not lie within a frost-hollow like Kiandra does:
Overall, the climate here is very good with 4 definite seasons. Spring/Fall are both of a decent length, there is plenty of rain that is evenly distributed and the weather is changeable. There is plenty of humidity so no worries about dry skin/nosebleeds I also like the cloudiness of fall/winter/early spring. Winters are interesting with frequent lake effect snowfalls and summers with thunderstorms. The temperatures are generally comfortable much of the year if you dress for them; the only negative is that July can get outright hot at times (over 80 F) and it can be prone to heatwaves.
Variable, dry and stormy summers with some adequate heat—and even the occasional summer snowfall; cold, damp, squally and snowy winters, with constant >gale-force winds (>Force 9 Beaufort Scale). Splendid latitude, too.
All it needs for A+ is much hotter Summer highs; ~31° C instead of ~23° C, that is to say
Nearest BOM station to me would be Kiandra, NSW (1,395 m AMSL; 36° S); since my property only straddles 1,280 m AMSL, adding ~2° C to Kiandra's annual temperatures and decreasing ~300-400 mm of annual precipitation should be accurate enough. My record lows would also be quite a lot warmer, as Anglers Reach/Lake Eucumbene does not lie within a frost-hollow like Kiandra does:
Not very often (perhaps every decade or so), but I've received a snowfall on the 22nd-23rd of November, 2018 not too long ago, and another back on the 5th of December, 2013—which was indeed Summer. Summer and late-season snowfalls seem to be getting more common nowadays.
Here was the relatively recent November 19th forecast of 2018 for the 22nd-23rd:
Spoiler
^Really shows how variable my springs and summers can be
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Rate the climate that you live in
I also like the cloudiness of fall/winter/early spring. Winters are interesting with frequent lake effect snowfalls and summers with thunderstorms. The temperatures are generally comfortable much of the year if you dress for them; the only negative is that July can get outright hot at times (over 80 F) and it can be prone to heatwaves.
