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We had a little drizzle this morning, then some sun for a couple of hours, and now it's just overcast and windy, in fact the power blinked off for a second.
With the Puget Sound, many rivers and lakes, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, we have many micro-climates in Western Washington. We are just 23 miles east of Seattle, but get 20 more inches of rain annually (53" here, 37" in Seattle (Bellingham gets 39"). There are other areas within the "rain shadow" of the Olympics that get as little as 16" annually (such as Sequim). Most of us het a lot of clouds and overcast, but also some sun most of the year, but we can count on some rain most of the year from mid-September thru July 5th. In our 27 years here, I remember only one time that we saw no sun and had steady light rain for 41 days and nights straight. Still, it was spring, and just a misty light drizzle, so no flooding or anything.
Like you, we moved here from CA (Bay Area) in part for the cooler weather, more rain, and less sun, and have been happy with our decision. No one has been hampered by the weather, the kids and now grandkids would play soccer in the rain and eve snow a few times. Just last weekend we sat and watched our oldest grandson's soccer game in the rain, until the 2nd half when the sun came out for the rest of the day.
There are some people that get depressed from a lack of sun, and they may end up moving away, but I've never seen that happen. When we moved here almost all of our neighbors had moved from CA, but one from Texas. All are still in the area, though some retired and moved to the rural areas.
Thank you for this, it's really encouraging! I actually love the rain, but I like a little sun too. A little snow sounds fantastic actually! I've only seen it snowing when I visited Chicago and it was quite magical. It's good to hear your kids/grandkids have had no problem having fun in that climate. My boys are pretty hearty and can definitely handle a little cold and rain. It's more the "gloom" I worry about, but maybe that's been over dramatized a bit (hopefully). Today it actually rained in the bay area (extremely unusual these days as you know!) and then the sun peeked out behind partly cloudy skies and the rain let up momentarily and I really enjoyed it. Do you get a lot of this in WA vs all grey skies?
Thank you!! I have actually googled this extensively and didn't like the answers lol. I thought hey, maybe it's not as gloomy as everyone says, I'm going to ask them myself!
Good to know the kids get use to the rain. My kids are very spoiled by the California weather and being able to go out to the playground, or ride their bikes around whenever they want. But my eldest also detests the heat, so I wonder if he would prefer a cooler climate.
I'm so sorry to hear about your rough 2020 year. That sounds super tough...I hope 2021 is treating you better.
We actually did visit the east and we loved it. At the time it was like a no brainer, we are moving east. But then we looked at the expenses involved...traveling to LA (my family) and WA (my MIL) plus the fact that my husband wouldnt have the same networking opportunities in the east. He does have family in the east but they aren't nearly as involved as my family is in LA. We are having a heart vs. head decision with this one. We're still on the fence about it all. We do plan to take another seattle trip in the winter to see if we can tolerate it.
Oh that’s tough. Where do you think the kids will go to school? That might be far away but it might matter. My niece (from the Midwest) ended up at Ithaca College. Many kids end up out East in the educated and affluent brackets. I think our younger kid could end up there too which makes a difference as we grapple with our post-kids future. I personally think I would love it over there. I love four seasons and the rich culture and historical buildings. Like “founding fathers” type culture and history. Plus it’s just closer to the rest of the country. Tge PNW sometimes feels remote.
I’ve been torn since we landed here. I thought for sure Seattle would be my forever and ever but I’m less sure as the years pass.
Oh that’s tough. Where do you think the kids will go to school? That might be far away but it might matter. My niece (from the Midwest) ended up at Ithaca College. Many kids end up out East in the educated and affluent brackets. I think our younger kid could end up there too which makes a difference as we grapple with our post-kids future. I personally think I would love it over there. I love four seasons and the rich culture and historical buildings. Like “founding fathers” type culture and history. Plus it’s just closer to the rest of the country. Tge PNW sometimes feels remote.
I’ve been torn since we landed here. I thought for sure Seattle would be my forever and ever but I’m less sure as the years pass.
I have no idea where they will end up for college. I’ll be happy if they survive to adulthood! Lol. But I think a lot depends on what they are exposed to, what they want to study and if out of state costs are a factor. They are only 1 and 4 right now so they go between wanting to a unicorn and wanting to be an astronaut lol. But I do make sure they understand I expect them to go to college! I agree with you on the east, I love it for the same reasons. But my husband who is from there makes good points. The winters are brutal and it takes a toll on everything and everyone. The houses tend to be old and need a lot of constant repair. Things like produce are more expensive. Utilities are quite expensive. When we added up all the costs of living in rural MA vs Seattle metro WA we were surprised that WA may shake out being cheaper for us. BUT if my kids ended up in another part of the country, that could be a game changer and a good reason to consider the move.
Thank you for this, it's really encouraging! I actually love the rain, but I like a little sun too. A little snow sounds fantastic actually! I've only seen it snowing when I visited Chicago and it was quite magical. It's good to hear your kids/grandkids have had no problem having fun in that climate. My boys are pretty hearty and can definitely handle a little cold and rain. It's more the "gloom" I worry about, but maybe that's been over dramatized a bit (hopefully). Today it actually rained in the bay area (extremely unusual these days as you know!) and then the sun peeked out behind partly cloudy skies and the rain let up momentarily and I really enjoyed it. Do you get a lot of this in WA vs all grey skies?
It's all over the place, at times even the weather forecasts don't seem to know. It can pour rain for a couple hours and then the sun comes out for a few hours before the next system blows in. Other times it seems to be overcast with drizzle to heavy showers that go on for weeks.
My kids don't like the rain, we plan around it and often become couch potatoes inside watching TV or playing games/video games.
We are heading into prime rainy season about now, with late January or February usually the cold/snowy season. More often than not when the cold NE winds come it blows any moisture south and it's just really cold but clear and sunny. When a bunch of moisture blows in from the south and then gets the NE wind turned upon it, then we are in trouble.
You don't have to take our word for it lol, city data's own statistics page for Bellingham has it as the #1 city above 50K people for the least sunshine and most "humidity" in the USA.
Microclimates are a real thing however, and once you get further south of the LaConner area you aren't really exposed to the "Nor-easter" anymore. Research carefully and bring lots of money and you may find a gem in there somewhere.
I have no idea where they will end up for college. I’ll be happy if they survive to adulthood! Lol. But I think a lot depends on what they are exposed to, what they want to study and if out of state costs are a factor. They are only 1 and 4 right now so they go between wanting to a unicorn and wanting to be an astronaut lol. But I do make sure they understand I expect them to go to college! I agree with you on the east, I love it for the same reasons. But my husband who is from there makes good points. The winters are brutal and it takes a toll on everything and everyone. The houses tend to be old and need a lot of constant repair. Things like produce are more expensive. Utilities are quite expensive. When we added up all the costs of living in rural MA vs Seattle metro WA we were surprised that WA may shake out being cheaper for us. BUT if my kids ended up in another part of the country, that could be a game changer and a good reason to consider the move.
The wet here is awful hard on things as well, it's pretty common in homes here to have water damage to south facing walls, around windows, and up under the roof sheathing and truss tails from wind driven rain. Many homes for sale will have hidden black mold issues.
One thing we don't have is long brutal winters or months of driving on salted snowy roads which really eats up vehicles. It's shocking some of the rust damage I've seen from eastern and midwest vehicles of people that have moved/traveled here with fairly new cars.
Microclimates are a real thing however, and once you get further south of the LaConner area you aren't really exposed to the "Nor-easter" anymore. Research carefully and bring lots of money and you may find a gem in there somewhere.
True, the Skagit Valley and south rarely get north winds but the south/southwest winds can gust like crazy. They tend to be warmer but can take down trees and branches and send trash cans flying. The Atmospheric River (formerly known as Pineapple Express) storms can cause flooding and damage.
It's all over the place, at times even the weather forecasts don't seem to know. It can pour rain for a couple hours and then the sun comes out for a few hours before the next system blows in. Other times it seems to be overcast with drizzle to heavy showers that go on for weeks.
My kids don't like the rain, we plan around it and often become couch potatoes inside watching TV or playing games/video games.
We are heading into prime rainy season about now, with late January or February usually the cold/snowy season. More often than not when the cold NE winds come it blows any moisture south and it's just really cold but clear and sunny. When a bunch of moisture blows in from the south and then gets the NE wind turned upon it, then we are in trouble.
You don't have to take our word for it lol, city data's own statistics page for Bellingham has it as the #1 city above 50K people for the least sunshine and most "humidity" in the USA.
Microclimates are a real thing however, and once you get further south of the LaConner area you aren't really exposed to the "Nor-easter" anymore. Research carefully and bring lots of money and you may find a gem in there somewhere.
I'm fine with cold...I'm even fine with snow! The rain isn't too bad either. Wind not generally a problem, we would get some fierce Santa Ana winds down in LA. My main concern is the "gloom". I just really enjoy the occasional crisp sunny day. Also, the mental health of the kids matter too. They aren't use to that much grey. How are the cities of Tacoma and Spokane generally? Weather wise and crime/safety wise...
I have had bouts with depression for years.
For me it wasn’t that I felt sad or depressed.
It was that I had bouts with being lethargic and not wanting to do things as often as I normally do.
Everybody is different but what works for me (that I self prescribed) was a proper diet, vitamin supplements, exercise inside/outside and goals that I need to achieve for the day.
For me it’s like a three legged stool.
If I subtract one leg and I might tip into laziness.
When I start getting lethargic correction is as easy as adding back the missing leg.
I get a bit OCD with goals but hey it works for me.
Once again we are all a bit different but this works for me.
I am a California climate refugee and think this place has better weather than California.
Well we have been told in no uncertain terms that Californians are ridiculed, harassed and ostracized in the PNW. But maybe our informants are totally mistaken!
This has never been true, IME. I lived there for over 20 years, and no one even knew I was from CA. No one cares. How would anyone know, unless you told them? People bond over common interests, not over where you are or are not from. Besides, these days you're likely to run into other Californians, anyway (if they choose to tell you where they're from). Just enjoy, OP. Less worry, more positive anticipation.
What type of weather report you get really seems to depend on the person. I recently was in the area for a couple of weeks. One friend insisted I bring a waterproof raincoat, because it was raining heavily every day, she said. Another said there was light rain with sun breaks, but that it was very cold. I didn't have room in my luggage for a heavy waterproof raincoat, so I took a light poncho, and never even used it. When I commented on the wonderful light rain to the first friend, she said, "you call this LIGHT rain??!" She said this while wearing only a light sweatshirt. She was the one who said I'd need a 100% waterproof long coat.
I think some people's perception of the weather is dependent on their psychology. I enjoyed the frequent sun breaks and an occasional sunny day while I was there. I also enjoyed the intermittent light rain, coming from a region that had had 4 months of temps in the 90's, and blazing sun nonstop. I like variety. Which is why I chose the UW in Seattle for my college experience; I got tired of the lack of variety in the weather in CA. (Bay Area)
The one thing that might be a bit of a shock at first is how early it gets dark after daylight savings time ends. The main coping mechanism for that is to use the weekends to do outdoor activities (eg. hiking and skiing when weather allow, or walks in the park), to get as much light exposure as you can. It helps.
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Just enjoy, OP. Less worry, more positive anticipation.
Which is why I chose the UW in Seattle for my college experience; I got tired of the lack of variety in the weather in CA. (Bay Area)
