Olympic Peninsula Weather and Other Questions (Seattle, Port Angeles: renting, houses, heat pump)

[TribalCat]

I'm thinking of moving somewhere along the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula (Port Townsend, Sequim or Port Angeles) in the next couple of years and have a few questions about the weather, specifically in the Winter, as I've heard it takes some getting used to.

I've lived in Colorado, so of course I'm used to snow, but it's a dry snow there, and it very rarely shuts down Denver. City-Data shows that the towns I'm looking at average around 5" of snow during the snowiest part of winter, is that really the case? How long does it typically last? How icy do the roads get, are they still driveable? Would I need chains or studded tires? Are the towns good about clearing the roads?

What's the fog like there, does it stick around all day? How often does it get foggy?

What form of heat do most people use there, electricity, wood, propane?

I'm spoiled with fiber-optic cable and broadband Internet. Are they available on the Peninsula? How's the cell phone coverage there?

Are there any Country stations there? (Yes, I like Country music )

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but it's almost 6am, and I haven't slept yet *lol* so my brain's not working anymore. I would plan to spend a week or two in the area during the worst part of the Winter prior to moving there, so I'd get some idea of what I'd be letting myself in for.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by TribalCat

I'm thinking of moving somewhere along the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula (Port Townsend, Sequim or Port Angeles) in the next couple of years and have a few questions about the weather, specifically in the Winter, as I've heard it takes some getting used to.

I've lived in Colorado, so of course I'm used to snow, but it's a dry snow there, and it very rarely shuts down Denver. City-Data shows that the towns I'm looking at average around 5" of snow during the snowiest part of winter, is that really the case? How long does it typically last? How icy do the roads get, are they still driveable? Would I need chains or studded tires? Are the towns good about clearing the roads?

That snowfall amount is probably about right for the average year. So far this hasn't been an average year! The storm we had several days ago dumped a foot to a foot and a half of snow and more or less paralyzed the area for a few days. Usually within a few days the snow melts off significantly though and the snow showers turn in to rain showers. You can read all about it online at the local PA paper website. Look for the "Snowy Day in PA" video feed there: Peninsula Daily News: Local Sports, Shopping, Dining, Lodging, Medical, Jobs, Homes, Cars, Classifieds, Obituaries, Services for Olympic Peninsula, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Sequim, Forks, Jefferson County, Clallam County, Washington

Actually if you set the PDN website in your browser favorites and take a few minutes to read it every day, after doing so for several months you'll have a pretty good feel for typical daily life on the peninsula throughout the seasons.

We occasionally get ice on the roads but I've never found it to be much of a problem. Keep in mind, at least for Port Angeles, that it's basically a town built on a hillside that runs from an elevation of sea-level on the downtown waterfront to several thousand feet at the Hurricane Ridge park ranger station. So snow accumulation amounts can vary drastically depending upon where in town you live- e.g. closer to the waterfront vs. "up the hill" somewhere.

They clear the roads fairly well but many times it simply melts off before the road crews need to break out the snow plows.

From your prior post, I recall that you're already aware of the prolonged gray skies we can get during the winter months. Another factor you should keep in mind weather wise is wind. We are coastal here and can get some strong wind storms. I guess the reason I'm bringing this up is that it's fresh in my mind. We had a wind storm a few weeks ago that was strong enough to snap one of my fence posts and knock down a section of the fence on my property. It was a fairly new pressure-treated 4x4 post set in cement- so obviously it took a pretty good blow to do that! IMO, Port Townsend gets the most wind of the places you're considering.

Aside from blowing off roof shingles in some places the other wind related problem that frequently happens during the winter months are power outages. The wind blows over a tree which takes out a power line when it falls. This is more of a problem in the outer lying parts of the county but it's not unusual for the power to be out for anywhere from a few hours to several hours at a time when this happens.

Originally Posted by TribalCat

What's the fog like there, does it stick around all day? How often does it get foggy?

Not usually. Typically if we do get fog it creeps in during the evening hours or I wake up to it in the early morning. Generally it burns off by late morning. I don't consider this a "foggy area" per se. Some fog here but not tons of it. We get more fog of course during the fall and winter months.

Originally Posted by TribalCat

What form of heat do most people use there, electricity, wood, propane?

The answer to this question is... E: All of the above. I would say electric and wood heat are the dominant heat sources. Interestingly, a lot of the newer homes being built here have heat pumps installed which allow an a/c option. Most of the older homes don't have a/c as this was traditionally not considered necessary. Newer places are having lawn sprinklers put in too, which you didn't see around here 20 years ago. Perhaps something to be said for global warming after all! IMO having some wood heat is nice as a back up heat source for the aforementioned winter power outages.

Originally Posted by TribalCat

I'm spoiled with fiber-optic cable and broadband Internet. Are they available on the Peninsula? How's the cell phone coverage there?

Wave Broadband is available in the area: Wave Broadband ~ Internet - Cable TV - Phone in Port Angeles, Washington

Verizon has the best coverage here.

Originally Posted by TribalCat

Are there any Country stations there? (Yes, I like Country music )

Country music? Sorry, that's where I draw the line!

[TribalCat]

Thanks for that website! It's full of neat information. I'm glad you wrote about the wind, I'd forgotten to ask about that. The grey skies are definitely something I have to think about. Denver and SoCal (where I'm currently living) are both almost always sunny, so I'd probably end up renting the first year just to make sure I can deal with it.

Do the summers really require a/c there? I know it's a lot more humid up there than it is down here, and we've never had a/c in any of our houses here, but I have lived in humidity back East, so I'm used to that too.

Thanks again for all your information.

What's wrong with Country music?

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by TribalCat

Do the summers really require a/c there? I know it's a lot more humid up there than it is down here, and we've never had a/c in any of our houses here, but I have lived in humidity back East, so I'm used to that too.

IMO not really. We had this particular PA home built about 4 years ago. As we designed several higher end systems in to the project, the builder included our a/c units "at his cost". (I know, I'm sure we paid for them somewhere in the overall cost of construction... ) Honestly though, I don't recall ever really needing the a/c even though we'll flip it on once in a while (such as when we're having business associates from out of town over for a meal or the likes). So I probably wouldn't worry about having or not having a/c too much. Sure there are several warm days mid-summer but the daytime temps are not unbearable vs. what you're used to in So Cal. Also, we have ceiling fans in the larger rooms and they help a lot. If the room warms up beyond what we desire, I'll tap the remote, the fans come on and voila' problem solved! Evening temps cool off nicely here and we simply open up the windows on opposing sides of our home and the breeze from offshore (the Strait) cools the house nicely.

Another a/c example- Growing up in the north end (Seattle) and living around the Seattle area until about 1990 (before we began to move about internationally) it was rare to even see a car with a/c. Now they mostly all have a/c as they simply come from the factory equipped with a/c as a stock option.

Originally Posted by TribalCat

I'd probably end up renting the first year just to make sure I can deal with it.

Very wise thinking on your part. I would highly recommend this strategy to anyone considering moving to western WA from a consistently sunny place like So Cal.

Originally Posted by TribalCat

What's wrong with Country music?

Ummm, well... having grown up in the 60's, let's just say it's not my style!

Good Luck!

[ukiyo-e]

The Peninsula is full of microclimates. I live in Port Townsend near the Fairgrounds, and my builder lives just 10 blocks north a few blocks from the Straight. Very often in the summer and fall, it's foggy at his house and sunny at mine; when I drive out to the main road separating our neighborhoods, I can see the fog hanging over his place. It doesn't last very long though, compared to the fog I experienced living in San Francisco for 17 years. Same with the wind. My friend lives on the west side of the Peninsula near the water and gets worse wind than I do, though I do get it here, and yes, it can be quite strong.

I agree with Dendrite about having back-up wood heat. I've lost power here twice already this winter, once for 15 hours. It was fairly warm that day and I'm pretty hardy, anyway, so it was not a problem, but I don't have a wood stove. My nearest neighbor does, though, and a generator, and told me to come get warm anytime I need to.

The cell phone coverage varies a lot, too. Dendrite mentioned Verizon, but the only carrier which works in my little area is AT&T. No one who comes to my house can use their cell phone here unless AT&T is their carrier. I can't download Kindle books at my house because its antenna thingie is too weak to pull in a signal here. If I drive a few blocks to the nearby school's parking lot, I can download there, though.

So far I love the weather here. I arrived in early July and the summer was beautiful and not hot at all. The winter has been mild with the exception of the snow Dendrite mentioned, although we only got 4" here. Again, the microclimates. I enjoyed that for 2 days, but was glad when temperatures got back to normal for this time of year and it melted.

[ukiyo-e]

I forgot to mention the air conditioning. My builder is great and builds super high-quality, small homes, one at a time, which is what I was looking for. He never puts a/c in any of his homes. He's building his family a new one near mine to get away from that fog I mentioned. They're putting super high-end everything in that house because they plan to stay in it a long time...but no air conditioning.

There were two days this summer after I moved here in early July that got a little warm. I opened the windows and turned small fans on, and was fine. I had ceiling fans in my house in CA which I used a lot, and am going to have him put one on the first floor and one in my bedroom upstairs next spring. Again, I agree with Dendrite; if I had a/c, I might have put it on briefly those 2 days, but it's hardly worth installing it for the very few too-warm days we get.

[ukiyo-e]

Having a little trouble with photo attachments today for some reason, but I just wanted to post this photo I took awhile ago, showing the blue skies here in Port Townsend with the clouds to the east...this is fairly common here in the winter. And often when it's overcast here, it's actually raining over there.

[TribalCat]

Gorgeous picture, it looks like a painting!

[KJA613]

Angelbug,

I would be interested in a comparison of San Francisco weather (think Pacific Heights) and Sequim/Port Townsend. My wife LOVES the SF weather -- cool year-round and PAcific Heights tends to be sunny. I am curious if you have far less sun and more overcast in Port Townsend?

We live in Chicago now and are looking to move back to the West Coast and are considering the PNW. Our primary hesitation would be weather. We will be visiting in late March for a week to get our first take.

Thanks.

[KAILANI]

What brings you to want to live around the Olympic Peninsula? Will you be retiring?
What do you like to do for FUN??