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What do the kids do in the Pac NW for fun in winter? Slog around in muddy, drenched, soggy yards each year? I feel bad that theyll never experience sledding or building a snowman or riding a snowmobile around or taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride. No sir, the definition of hell is having to don a raincoat or umbrella in the PacNW for most of the year, living under gray gloom and not seeing the sun for weeks/months on end, and not being able to partake in classic winter activities that most kids in the rest of the country do.
No offense intended, however it sounds like you don't know much about the climate and weather of the Pacific Northwest.
Just a 45-minute drive east of Seattle brings you to the Cascade Mountains where snow is measured in the 100's of inches. All the things you mentioned, sledding, building a snowman, riding a snowmobile or taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride are all very popular here.
Not all of the Pacific Northwest is as wet as you seem to think. East of the Cascades you will find semi-desert and desert areas. Some of those areas get less rain than Phoenix, AZ.
No offense intended, however it sounds like you don't know much about the climate and weather of the Pacific Northwest.
Just a 45-minute drive east of Seattle brings you to the Cascade Mountains where snow is measured in the 100's of inches. All the things you mentioned, sledding, building a snowman, riding a snowmobile or taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride are all very popular here.
Not all of the Pacific Northwest is as wet as you seem to think. East of the Cascades you will find semi-desert and desert areas. Some of those areas get less rain than Phoenix, AZ.
Im quite familiar with PacNW weather, thank you very much. And while the tops of the Cascades might get tons of snow, Seattle itself hardly gets any. And when it does, it doesnt last long, just saturates the ground even more than it already is. Sure, you can load all the kids and gear up and drive 1.5 hours or more round trip to take the kids sledding or whatnot, but my point was that you cant do that in your backyard several times a year like you can in other areas of the country.
Im quite familiar with PacNW weather, thank you very much. And while the tops of the Cascades might get tons of snow, Seattle itself hardly gets any. And when it does, it doesnt last long, just saturates the ground even more than it already is. Sure, you can load all the kids and gear up and drive 1.5 hours or more round trip to take the kids sledding or whatnot, but my point was that you cant do that in your backyard several times a year like you can in other areas of the country.
No, thankfully one usually can't do much sledding in the backyard I wouldn't have lived here for 50+ years if it snowed in Seattle like it does in other parts of the country! However, my point is that there is a wide variety of weather in the Pacific Northwest.
In the post that I quoted you make it sound as if it does nothing but rain in the entire Pacific Northwest all winter long.
No, thankfully one usually can't do much sledding in the backyard I wouldn't have lived here for 50+ years if it snowed in Seattle like it does in other parts of the country! However, my point is that there is a wide variety of weather in the Pacific Northwest.
In the post that I quoted you make it sound as if it does nothing but rain in the entire Pacific Northwest all winter long.
Other than the occasional snowfall in Seattle, it does rain/drizzle/mist mostly all winter long, does it not? And yes, eastern WA and Oregon are high and dry desert, Ive been through there several times and actually liked it. Western WA is a cloudy, wet mess. But thats just my opinion.
Other than the occasional snowfall in Seattle, it does rain/drizzle/mist mostly all winter long, does it not? And yes, eastern WA and Oregon are high and dry desert, Ive been through there several times and actually liked it. Western WA is a cloudy, wet mess. But thats just my opinion.
Actually, in the PNW during the winter we occasionally get sleet, hail, and freezing rain. It's not just rain, drizzle, and mist.
I live in Minnesota. We had our first snowfall on Thanksgiving Day and it's still cold outside. No more snow, but it snowed not too long ago. What's that now, almost six months of cold weather? Today is cold and rainy. I love the rain.
I don't complain though, I love it. You never hear of anyone reminiscing about curling up with a good book in front of the air conditioner! We don't get the disasters and weather anomalies that many places have to put up with. Seriously, it's not that bad at all.
For me, the worst weather is anywhere it gets hot and humid. Ugh! Of course, that includes Minnesota but that doesn't last very long.
Put my vote down for MI. Below average amounts of sunshine -- similar to Seattle. Long cold winters with lots of lake effect snow and wind. Summers can be relatively nice but there can still be hot sticky days or cold rainy days -- sometimes in the same week. And even when the weather is near perfect -- biting insects like mosquitoes, black flies, deer flies, etc can still ruin a day.
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However, my point is that there is a wide variety of weather in the Pacific Northwest. 
