Washington weather

 Let me start with my understanding of Seattle weather. I've talked about this in the past here and there, but it's a compilation of how it's to live in Seattle and surrounding areas weather-wise and why somebody might consider living long-term in those areas.

Summers are sunny, dry and cool/warm, aka the perfect weather. Everybody in the city says it's the best place in the country to be in the Summer, and I'd buy it. The city's surrounded by water bodies all over, there's snow-capped mountains a few short hours of drive away, and because the region gets so much rain throughout the year, everything is really bright green, so lush. The city turns into a cabin in the woods in the summer.

The winters, aka four months but in reality close to eight months are quite miserable. They're not awfully cold, nowhere near Boston, and it barely snows if ever. You can get my a light jacket. But you'll go for weeks without seeing the sun: it'll be gloomy and drizzle all day and night, forever and ever and ever. It's like hell's damp leaky basement.

Seattleites will go to nearby mountains for winter sports in the cooler months, but if they are really into snow, they can always do a couple of hours drive to Mt. Rainier. In case they want to see the Sun, they drive to the Eastern part of the state, cutting through the mountain passes. Since the region is in rain/cloud shadow of the mountains, it usually gets tonnes of sun even in winter, is quite warm. Somebody told me they get four/five growing seasons of hay.

So yeah, you have gloomy weather in the city, but tolerable times are never too far away. Fall is not as beautiful as strong as in the East, and Spring is not as pronounced. The four seasons are more mild suggestions that strict divisions of the year.

The good part is, if you carry a nice light jacket, you're good to go for any month of the year. And it's never intolerably awful. On the other hand, the lack of sunlight can get on one's nerves, which is why this region is not as popular as SoCal etcetera.