Can/does it ever snow in downtown Seattle? (Vancouver, Kent: how much, home)

[videojob8]

I am just curious. I have a friend from Kent, WA and they showed me a picture of their backyard where it was briefly covered with snow one winter season. Though they live in a bit higher elevation than downtown Seattle.

How much does the moderating effect of Pudget Sound really have on downtown Seattle when it comes to possible snow in the winter?

Is snow more rare in Seattle overall than in Vancouver, WA (or Portland, OR for that matter)?

Thank you so much.

[Ira500]

Snow is rare in downtown Seattle, whether it's from the moderating effects of the sound or the big buildings, I don't know.
It does happen, but it's much more common for surrounding neighborhoods to have snow but not downtown..But if that is the case, most people don't live downtown, so if they're downtown when it's sticking everywhere else and just flurrying downtown, you may end up stuck there.
Portland gets a tiny bit more snow, slightly colder in the winter, and slightly warmer in the summer.

[Quantum]

Right. Just be ready for everything to be overcast, wet, and drizzling 10 months of the year.

[Hemlock140]

Working in downtown for 3 years now there has only been one time that it snowed enough to cause trouble in Seattle. on the other hand, there have been 4-5 time that snow on the eastside has made me work from home rather than try to get
to the office.

[robertpolyglot]

Of course it can. And a snow-covered Seattle is beautiful. A heavy snowfall in 1916 caused the roof of the Catholic cathedral on First Hill, immediately above downtown, to give way.

A Short History of St. James Cathedral

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Portland gets a tiny bit more snow, slightly colder in the winter, and slightly warmer in the summer.

Is it, Ira? It seems that Seattle runs 2 to 3 degrees cooler year round.

I'll never forget leaving "Godfather III" at Northgate Mall and, during the film, it snowed so much that it was nearly impossible to safely drive a chainless rear-wheel-drive vehicle back to a friend's house. It was just a dusting in Portland.

[videojob8]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Portland gets a tiny bit more snow, slightly colder in the winter, and slightly warmer in the summer.

It seems strange that a city further south is more likely to have snow. Though local geography is a big factor.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by videojob8

It seems strange that a city further south is more likely to have snow. Though local geography is a big factor.

Well, the statistics seem to indicate that I'm wrong. But I do recall a bunch of times where it was 38 and peeing down rain in Seattle, but 34 and freezing rain in Portland. Nonetheless, it's not all about North and South. We are moderated by the water and Japanese trade winds, and Portland doesn't have those same protections. But yeah, looking at the numbers, I seem to be wrong.

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by videojob8

It seems strange that a city further south is more likely to have snow. Though local geography is a big factor.

Flagstaff, Arizona is one of the snowiest towns in the US with over 100 inches of snowfall annually on average. So how far north or south a place is doesn't always determine snowfall totals.

[Scotty Dosent Know]

How far north or south a city is doesn't determine its elevation