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My husband is now working in the Arctic region of Alaska. He works 5-6 weeks straight then gets 2 weeks off. Our girls and I live in Michigan and we are thinking about a move to the Bellingham area of Washington state. This would cut down on HOURS in the air my husband would have to spend going round-trip every 5 weeks..back and forth between Alaska and Michigan. Also, air fare would be less expensive if we were at least living that much closer to Alaska (such as Washington state). Alaska is out as my daughters are into horses big-time (dressage/hunter-jumper..English) and that is non-existent in Alaska!
Soooooooooo, in reviewing many, many forums on this site, it appears that the one BIG thing to consider about a move to Bellingham are the long stretches of gray, drizzly weather.
Having lived most of my life in Michigan, I am rather used to long stretches of gray days (although lately it HAS been amazingly sunny for days and days and days)! From what I can discern, Michigan has more of the cool thunderstorms that we love, whereas it is mostly drizzle in Washington. Also, we have much more snow, especially on the Lake Michigan side of the state...and that we are said to be much better drivers in inclement weather! Ha! Our summers are great..warm, balmly days at the beach or around a pool are awesome and our fireflys at night are magical!
I was wondering if there are any city-data folks out there who have experienced both Michigan and Bellingham, WA weather for extended periods of time? I am just trying to grasp whether we should all take on the task of moving to Washington to be (somewhat) closer to husband and daddy....or would the weather there be a deal breaker?? Keep in mind that we all do like cloudy, rainy days....can lend a very cozy feel to things but I gotta get outside everyday and love the sunshine. If it is mostly the winter months that are gray in WAshington, with lots of sun during the summer months, we could handle that as that is the general scenerio here in Michigan.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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From the stats it seems Michigan - especially the Upper Peninsula - is actually as gloomy as Northwest Washington in winter, and a good deal colder. Climatically I'd say Bellingham would be an improvement over Michigan.
Cloudy days/ Total Sunshine Hours. It looks like Western Washington is a bit gloomier, but not a whole a lot (Western New York and Pennsylvannia might be closer). Also, the west coast maybe be more consistent going through long cloudy or sunny phases and not much in between. Washington state has a dry season in the summer, so the summers will be drier and sunnier than Michigan but the winters much gloomier. And the summers will feel cool to us easterners. I haven't actually been to Washington, it's just all i could figure out from reading. But I heard it's beautiful out there...And maybe the cloudier winters could be made from them not being so cold.
I live in Vancouver, BC which is just north of Bellingham, WA. I've also lived in Ottawa, Ontario which temperature wise would be more like the UP of Michigan and slightly sunnier and less snowy. I've been to both many places in Michigan and Bellingham too on numerous occasions.
In my opinion and I'm sure others will disagree with me, I think Bellingham's climate is far superior to anything in Michigan mainly due to the milder winters with much less snowfall as well as sunnier summers. It's not uncommon here to only have one or two light snowfalls per winter which melt within a few days. Summers are far sunnier with much fewer thunderstorms and heavy rain to spoil outdoor activities. Bellingham can get some hot days in the summers in the 90s even if on average most days will be cooler than Michigan.
If it is mostly the winter months that are gray in WAshington, with lots of sun during the summer months, we could handle that as that is the general scenerio here in Michigan.
I think overall… Bellingham would be a more desirable climate and less extreme (less extreme cold/hot)…and much less snow than Michigan. Summers are cooler in the Pacific Northwest…so less A/C costs. If you like thunderstorms however, the Pacific Northwest is not the best place…the marine flow keeps the chances of contrasting air masses in check.
The only other thing that might be a concern for you… is the lack of sunshine. The Pacific Northwest (extreme northern California northward)… is no place for those who seek sunshine. For some people this is not a big issue at all, for others it is a life changer. I think you will notice a fairly big change in hours of sunshine…even coming from the Great Lakes. While the Great Lakes are quite cloudy in the winter/early spring months…in summer/fall they are relatively sunny. By comparison…this is not the case in far northwest Washington State. While summers are fairly sunny in the Pacific Northwest...they are still less sunny than the Great Lakes…and the sun is much more fleeting. Here are some maps you might find interesting:
You can see in winter (February)…both the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest are the cloudiest regions in the USA (around 100 to 120 hours). However, most of the USA is cloudy at that time of year. Only the southwestern states and the south Atlantic states from South Carolina to Florida are sunny in winter (over 180 hours):
In summer (June) that changes greatly…the whole USA receives significantly more hours of sunshine. However, even in June…the Pacific Northwest is still the least sunny area of the USA. . You can see than most of Michigan receives in the 280 – 300 hours of sun range…while extreme northwest Washington still gets less than 240 hours (only 220 closer to Pungent Sound !). Even the mountain tops in Montana, Vermont,etc get more sunshine than northwest Washington in June:
Worse…the door slams shut much faster in early fall (October, November) in the Pacific Northwest compared to everywhere in the USA. The West Coast/East Coast from Northern California/Rhode Island southward get more than 200 hours of sunshine… the interior southwest gets more than 260 hours of sunshine (more than 300 hours in places like Las Vegas, Tucson…etc)...and most of the Great Lakes gets from 160 - 180 hours of sunshine in October. However, already northwest Washington is struggling to get 120 hours of sun. An average location in central Michigan…will get more than 50 hours of sunshine in October than Bellingham or Seattle. Consider how cloudy Michigan can be in October compared to a state like Texas or South Carolina. That’s about the difference between Michigan and northeast Washington in October for example:
Of course it gets much worse after October. If the hours of sunshine is not a huge issue for you personally…then I think it you should be fine.
Bellingham is drop dead gorgeous. The mountains and landscapes within a couple hours of town are some of the most majestic in the world.
Three major drawbacks:
1) lack of sun. Drizzly, oceanic clouds that hang on forever. Very few thunderstorms. Some interesting wintery whether of that immediate area can also be caused by arctic blasts coming down the Fraser River in Canada, which give freezing rain, below-zero windchills, and blizzards. During these events, it is more like Maine in NorEaster than the Pacific Northwest. One a few days per winter do this, but a unique regiona phenomenon that is not captured in yearly statistics. Should be noting for a Michigan person though.
2) Overpriced real estate (it was a target for folks who hit it big in the bubble).
3) Water is cold. No lounging on the beach and dipping in and out of the water. In the Pacific Northwest, beaches are for scenery, sailing, tidepooling,etc., not swimming or tanning.
As for me, I would probably choose Bellingham, but for some people it would be challenging. Still, less so than N. Michigan.
Bellingham is drop dead gorgeous. The mountains and landscapes within a couple hours of town are some of the most majestic in the world.
Three major drawbacks:
1) lack of sun. Drizzly, oceanic clouds that hang on forever. Very few thunderstorms. Some interesting wintery whether of that immediate area can also be caused by arctic blasts coming down the Fraser River in Canada, which give freezing rain, below-zero windchills, and blizzards. During these events, it is more like Maine in NorEaster than the Pacific Northwest. One a few days per winter do this, but a unique regiona phenomenon that is not captured in yearly statistics. Should be noting for a Michigan person though.
2) Overpriced real estate (it was a target for folks who hit it big in the bubble).
3) Water is cold. No lounging on the beach and dipping in and out of the water. In the Pacific Northwest, beaches are for scenery, sailing, tidepooling,etc., not swimming or tanning.
As for me, I would probably choose Bellingham, but for some people it would be challenging. Still, less so than N. Michigan.
Regarding #3--------since when?
The beaches and water was crowded with people at Deception Pass and at Birch Bay ( Birch Bay is north of Bellingham)
Has global cooling set in since I was last there ?
My goodness...all of you have been SO great with your answers and information!!! You rock !!! Thank you..thank you..thank you. I will take all of it into consideration and ask my family to vote!
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