Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was reading in USA Today about Asheville and they said due to climate change Asheville will continue to have a lot of heavy rains. I researched this website and it says that Asheville has 85 Days with 0.1 Inch or More Precipitation in a Year and Seattle has 90. I didn't know that Asheville was so rainy. Asheville, NC Weather
Yes, it is rainy, but the rain usually falls in a more showery pattern than, say, Seattle, so that more rain falls in each storm, but the storms are short-lived. Seattle has about 156 rainy days a year (0.01") whereas Asheville only has 125. Seattle also has many more cloudy days. So, while the Southern Appalachians are indeed a rainy region, they don't have nearly the "gloom" of the Pacific Northwest in winter. The bad side might be the much more frequent rain in summer in the Asheville area. Good for gardening, hard for camping.
Having lived in Oregon I can attest to lots of rain and gray in winter but summers are sunny and wonderful. Rain and gray into summer time is what is getting to me this year. I don't like hot weather but some sun is nice keeps the body mold at bay. Saw this morning in ACT lack of El Nino and La Nina affecting weather as they are major drivers of weather patterns in US. Climate change not for the faint hearted.
Thank you for the replies. I don't mind some rain but I hate a lot of foggy, gloomy days for a long period of time. I would actually prefer the rain in the summer because I don't like the heat.
organic_donna,
Like many aspects here in the Mtns of western NC, conditions are quite variable.
The flats and suburbs of A'ville or H'ville can be very different, any given day, compared to the higher elevations.
No idea where you are looking...the mtns/higher elevations can have many days of fogged in, fog rising up the mtn slope, puffs of 'clouds'/fog rolling by below us, etc.
They didn't get their name Smokies, for nothing,
And, back at the Precip Ranch, this is the rainiest spring, summer on record, fwiw.
GL, mD
I live in a highrise and when it's foggy my view is a rain cloud. I have no interest in being on the top of a mountain. I did read that certain parts of the outlying areas have more rain than Asheville. For example Hendersonville has more rain than the city of Asheville. I avoided Seattle because of their gloomy weather. I didn't know Asheville was so rainy.
I think that Asheville always has more rain than the other parts of NC. I think it's in a bit of a valley with mountains all around it so that rain clouds get trapped in the Asheville. I assume its similar to why the Denver airport is a nightmare in the winter time because of similar geography. I live in Charlotte but have driven up where the weather was perfect until I got within 10 miles of Ashevilile that was a rainfest.
Having lived in both cities, I personally think the rain in Asheville versus the rain in Seattle aren't alike at all. When it rains in Seattle, it's mostly a misty drizzle that doesn't even require windshield wipers. It can last all.day.long and it does so often!! There are days and days where the sun doesn't ever come out and when it looks like dusk for the entire day. The ground stays wet and muddy there for a good portion of the year.
When it rains here in Asheville, the sun still typically comes out at some point during the day. It's sometimes foggy for a couple of hours in the morning here, but the sun usually comes out at some point. I guess having lived in Seattle and experiencing what it's like to live in the "gloomy" weather there, I am incredibly appreciative of the weather here in Asheville.
I don't think just comparing how many days it rains in each city has per year is a good way to relate the two in this case.
Seminolepharmd,
Thank you for the comparison between Asheville and Seattle. Is Asheville more rainy during certain months? I'm glad the sun comes out sometime during the day. When I visited in the summer months it didn't rain at all. I don't mind winter or cold weather but I hate gloomy, gray days.
Which town do you like living in better? Why did you leave Seattle?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
