How do the "gloomy" months compare to the northeastern US? (Seattle: living in, vs.)

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Does Maryland count as east coast? I remember lots of sunny days but also lots of ice to slip & fall on.

PNW winters? I'm already preparing myself for the gloom. Last winter, I had recurring dreams about Yuma, AZ & I usually hate it there.

Isn't the time change on Nov. 1st? Oh, god, not yet!

[fluffydelusions]

Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia

Does Maryland count as east coast? I remember lots of sunny days but also lots of ice to slip & fall on.

PNW winters? I'm already preparing myself for the gloom. Last winter, I had recurring dreams about Yuma, AZ & I usually hate it there.

Isn't the time change on Nov. 1st? Oh, god, not yet!

It's east coast for sure but maybe you meant northeast? Maryland is considered mid Atlantic area

[notnamed]

I can't wait for the "gloom" to come back personally and for people scared of getting wet to stop clogging up all the trailhead parking. I love fall and winter here. Summer is where I'm inside in a/c and avoiding the massively overloaded parks that I enjoy at other times of year.

Lived all up and down the east coast and most recently Ohio before moving out here. T-shirt weather year round for me with highs in the 50s through winter. It's definitely gloomier vs the northeast as when you get that snow pack that sticks around for weeks or longer that tends to brighten things up a lot since it reflects sunshine so well. Moonlit night with some snow on the ground and you can get around without a flashlight just fine. Here though with overcast skies blotting out the moon a lot of the time it's just much darker. Really cold days where it's too cold to snow are usually crisp and clear with visibility for miles. You don't get that here. Instead you get to mow the grass in the middle of winter.

[Wooly Bear]

I can deal with clouds and rain easier than the sub-zero winters and the 100 degree summers here in the midwest.

[CrazyDonkey]

It's not the cloudiness, but the short days in the middle of the winter, with many, considering our l-o-n-g commutes, going to and from work in the dark, some in pitch dark. If working in a facility without windows, you might barely see sunlight, even filtered through clouds, Monday through Friday.

If you look at a map, you'll see that Seattle's latitude is roughly that of, not New England, or even Maine, but the Island of Newfoundland (which was too gloomy even for the Vikings).

For compensation, we also have l-o-n-g idyllic summer days, but that only heightens the shock at the contrast. You're not a true Northwesterner until you've survived at least ten winters here.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by 87112

I lived 5 years in NYC. In winter I never once thought it was too gray at all. A few days of clouds than sun is the worst it gets. I rather endure a Northeast winter than NW winter ( seattle side) anyday.

The gloom in Western Washington is bad, most people can't take it. Best to steer clear. Colorado has four seasons and a lot of sun too.

[hml1976]

The biggest difference for me was how long it took for summer to finally show up. Some years are worse than others but when we first moved here I was shocked to still occasionally need my winter coat in June.

The darkness is also hard but the temperatures are much milder.

[notnamed]

No one from the northeast should require a winter jacket around here unless going up in the mountains heh.

[hml1976]

Originally Posted by notnamed

No one from the northeast should require a winter jacket around here unless going up in the mountains heh.

Fair enough! My northwest winter jacket, which is a different winter jacket than my NYC one.

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by fluffydelusions

Been here since Spring and I have to say I love the weather here so far. I'm originally from the New England region but also lived in NYC and NJ. I know outside of summer is a different story in terms of weather but just wondering how this "gloom" everyone speaks of compares to say the northeast. Is it only people that come from sunny places that complain about grey skies during winter months?

Seattle is worse, far more cloudy, gloomy, dismal in the winter and marginally better for 1 month in the summer. You won't see as much snow in Seattle, just day after day of drizzle.

New York City:


Seattle: