The summers can get miserable, but the winters are pretty dry actually because when temperatures drop so low it takes the excess moisture out of the air. It doesn't feel anything like a Seattle or London piercing cold at similar temperatures. Of course that's a bit like Phoenix residents saying "yeah, it's 115°, but it's a dry heat"
Exactly! And with the high humidity, at 40-degrees in the winter, Seattle feels more comfortable than 40-degrees of dryness out here in the desert. Here in the high desert, when the sun goes down, you go from baking to cold very quickly.
Yeah, it definitely depends on what you like and I get that different people like different types of weather. To me though, that sounds pretty miserable, except for the dry summer, except it's not hot so not great for doing summer activities.
Just wondering, have you lived anywhere with a different climate?
It depends on what people value. Seattle (like Portland) does have gloomy winters--as does a lot of the northern tier of the US. But it doesn't get big snowfalls, bitter temperatures or--in the summer--long stretches of hot, humid weather or blisteringly hot and dry weather. The summer in Seattle tends to be about as pleasant as anywhere.
I can certainly see someone preferring Phoenix or Las Vegas, say, to Seattle in terms of weather but I wouldn't personally.
(I do agree that weather is perhaps one of the least relevant factors to this decision.)
Actually, in the high 90's for much of the year unfortunately with obnoxious humidity, and very chilly in the wintertime. It's a bit extreme sometimes, but it definitely is better than Seattle IMO.
Temperature is only one factor. Another big one is humidity. Seattle is the 7th most humid city in the US, which can make 45 degrees feel like 30 and 80 degrees feel like 95. This is why Seattle weather is miserable year around except for a fe weeks in late spring and early summer.
Not to mention the constant rain, of course. Drizzle, they call it.
The weather isn't that bad here. It's overcast a lot and there are a lot of "rainy" days but it's usually a light mist or sprinkle. It rarely drops below freezing in the winter and the summers, while short, have long days and are quite dry. Maybe the bay area has better weather but I'd take Seattle weather over most of the US (Chicago, Austin, NY, DC, etc)
Hot in the summer, mostly pleasant the rest of the year. It snows every other year or so, but doesn't stick, generally. There are short spring and fall seasons, but they do exist.
Between 7 and 11 rain days per month. We actually get more rain than Seattle, but on fewer days.
Any complaints of "bad weather" generally equate to "it's too hot" or "I don't like it". For general human living, it's quite moderate.
Something else I noticed while living in Seattle. Compared to the US East coast and much of the mid-west it's FAR less muggy year-round in spite of constant overcast, rain, or mist for most of the year.
I remember flying from Seattle to London a few years back and was surprised that in spite of the same weather, London was almost unbearably muggy -- it felt like I stepped into a swimming pool my skin felt so moist.
The complaints about the cold really reinforce my suspicion that everyone complaining about Seattle weather is used to California weather. Having grown up on the east coast (various places between DC and NYC), two things about Seattle weather stand out to me: it never properly rains (really it just "mists downward". Give me rain drops!), and it never actually gets cold. I really miss good proper cold weather, but it just doesn't happen in Seattle.
Yes, I feel the same way. I've lived in the Seattle area most of my life, and when I went to LA for college people would constantly talk about how much they hated rain, clouds, darkness, "cold temperatures" (which to them was pretty much anything below 70), etc. but I've always enjoyed the cold and rainy seasons far more than summer. Personally, I'd rather perpetually deal with a Seattle winter than have to live in LA with the constant heat.
I moved to Seattle and it's not the rain that bothers me (it's really not as bad as people say, even during the winter months), it's the cold. .. or rather lack of hot.
It never gets above 26C here. There are plenty of other cities like this (London just had a record heatwave .. of 29C; seriously that's too hot for them. People were passing out in the toobs. Wellington, another coastal city, has people bitching when it gets up to 27C as too hot), but the difference is they do get warm .. for an extended period of time. From May through August (opposite in Wellington cause hemispheres), you know you can put your jacket away. You don't need it. At worst it's gonna be a little refrigerator like if you stay out too late.
In Seattle, it could be mid-June and you might need that jacket...at noon, and then the next day you'll be burning up.
Summers can be very hot and dry (not guaranteed!) - 30-35c is not unheard of - with crisp blue skies, 15-16 hours of sunlight etc. There are a lot parks and green spaces in London so its easy to find space - there is a LOT of green/coast/sea etc near London as well so very easy to get out. The jet stream means although we're fairly north we get mild weather considering.
The statistics are probably misleading - it is not raining every other day (although sometimes it is). Its not constantly soggy, but certainly damper than California. Winters can get dark really early though which is a bit annoying.
The main problem is that people don't have air conditioning, so although it sometimes gets hotter than Egypt etc in the summer, you cant cool down apart form sit in your car or go and hang out in the supermarket in the chiller sections!
Pretty much what the other reply said: very damp and cold. Having lived in Spokane for a few years too the summers are also fairly brutal. That region has pretty extreme temperatures both ways.
Clearly you aren't a skier ;) I can't imagine seeking out a mountain town if you don't enjoy some sort of snow sport but the winters aren't as bad as all that and last maybe 4 months.
I moved to the Missoula area from Seattle. Summer is hotter but drier, winter is colder but drier and sunnier and I can ski powder most weekends.
I've come to enjoy a 20 degree dry day more then a 40 degree and drizzling day like we would get lots of in Seattle.
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