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I'm planning on visiting Washington State and see Vancouver and Victoria as well this summer. My main goal is to do a lot of hiking in the mountains (Cascades & maybe Olympics). Is July or August a better time to go, weatherwise? It looks fairly dry and sunny compared to where I live, at least I shouldn't expect any heavy downpours. July is slightly more convenient for me but I'm leaning towards a bit later in the season as I'm worried the mountain peaks might be snow covered.
Anyhow, I'd appreciate any advice from posters who live in the area.
It depends from year to year regarding rainfall. Last summer in July we had virtually no precipitation at all and August we had a bit more but both are relatively dry months. Unless it's a really wet summer, I don't think you have much to worry about.
In terms of snow in the mountains, it depends on how high up you want to go. Somewhere like Mount Baker (10000 feet) has snowcover 12 months of the year but anywhere below about 5000 feet should be free of snow and ice in July and August.
Summer are gorgeous in this area of the world, and either July or August would be a great time to visit! I would plan more for any time from mid-July to mid-August for the warmest and driest weather conditions, but just about any time from June to September will be beautiful.
I wouldn't worry too much about mountain snow during the summer months. Washington state offers excellent opportunity for hiking just about anywhere you go. I love the area around Cle Elum and Teanaway myself, but good hiking (and camping) is to be had all over the place!
About those downpours, when it does rain during summer, it usually is in a quick downpour. Unlike the rest of the year, we are usually spared from the horrible mizzle (misty drizzle) during the summer months.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Wait until after the July 4th weekend. I've been here 17 years and 9 out of 10 years it's dry July 5th through the end of August. Sometimes we will get an odd sprinkle but usually not. We may get a week or two of dry in September, too, but your best chance is late July/early August.
Wait until after the July 4th weekend. I've been here 17 years and 9 out of 10 years it's dry July 5th through the end of August. Sometimes we will get an odd sprinkle but usually not. We may get a week or two of dry in September, too, but your best chance is late July/early August.
I read an article recently about how in Seattle, July 4th is on average the rainiest day of the month. And I can believe it, having lived my entire life here, which in less than a month will make for 26 years!
Thanks for the responses. Some of the hikes I wanted to do pass 6000 ft, a few more than 7000 ft. Seems like it might vary year to year depending on the snowpack. But good to know both months are warm and sunny.
Anyone know if last year snow lasted later than average or earlier? How might this year compare to last?
From my understanding, 2009-2010 had a snowpack much lower than normal in the mountains due to record high temperatures caused by El Niño. You may remember watching the winter Olympics here in Vancouver that they had to truck in snow from the interior for ski events as there wasn't enough in the local mountains. I think Whistler had decent snow amounts from what I remember though.
This year will be snowier than last because this winter has a moderate a La Niña which means above average levels of precipitation. It's not going to be record breaking but probably above normal.
So this year, I wouldn't be surprised if the snowpack lasted longer than normal because of the long cool spring weather we're having plus higher precip than normal.
From my understanding, 2009-2010 had a snowpack much lower than normal in the mountains due to record high temperatures caused by El Niño. You may remember watching the winter Olympics here in Vancouver that they had to truck in snow from the interior for ski events as there wasn't enough in the local mountains. I think Whistler had decent snow amounts from what I remember though.
This year will be snowier than last because this winter has a moderate a La Niña which means above average levels of precipitation. It's not going to be record breaking but probably above normal.
So this year, I wouldn't be surprised if the snowpack lasted longer than normal because of the long cool spring weather we're having plus higher precip than normal.
Hmm. I did some Internet searching and found data for snow depths in Washington State. It looks like 2010 had a higher snowpack than many. Possibly because at 6000 feet even a warm winter isn't enough to melt snow? 2006 and 2007 looked rather snow-free and 2009 to a lesser extent.
But if this year has been snowy and the spring is cool, might be a late snow year. But perhaps, a May or June heat wave could change that.
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