Pacific Northwest Weather - first hand experience

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curioustraveler

New member
Hello PNW C-Brats,

My wife and I currently live in Annapolis and we're trying to determine where we want to retire. I'm about 12 years out so we have some time.

We love the water, and the Chesapeake Bay is great, but the summer heat and humidity coupled with the bugs is too much for my wife. We lived in Colorado for a while and the weather (sunny, dry, no bugs) ruined us for enjoying the weather any where else.

When thinking about combining our love for the mountains and the water, obviously the PNW comes up high on the list. (And I already have the perfect boat!) All we ever hear about is how rainy and cloudy it is but I don't think I've ever actually spoken with someone who lives there. Just like first hand experience of CO weather is different from what most people think (it's not a blizzard everyday?) I know WA weather may not actually be gloomy for 365 days a year.

So I'd love to hear from those of you who live in the region. Since we'll be retired, we aren't limited to any specific cities in the area. I'd love to be close to the water but we could be inland as well. Also, it may just be for the summers.

What's most important for us is relatively low humidity, lack of bugs, and a good amount of sun. Should we consider the area?

Thanks
 
curioustraveler":zbl0gtzr said:
...

What's most important for us is relatively low humidity, lack of bugs, and a good amount of sun. Should we consider the area?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The PWN has reliably has one out of 3.

There is a lack of flying insects. This is made up for by the slugs.

The temperature is lower than the Chesapeake Region, but the humidity is still high. Instead of oppressive, you get damp.

There can be lack of sun. However, the area is a collection of micro climates. Depending on the local area you may get more sun than somewhere else (even relatively close). For instance, the Olympic Peninsula is a rain forest (~200 days of rain/year). On the south west side of San Juan Island, cactus can grow. You can see one place from the other.

If you want low humidity, less bugs, and lots of sun, you can live on the east side of the Cascades. It's a desert.
 
That's pretty much what I've heard and expected. Too bad...beautiful area with the combination of mountains and water that we love. And we're so fortunate to have the Bay right out our front door here in the Annapolis area but the humidity really saps the enjoyment out of being outdoors.

I do understand the micro climates though so maybe we can find a little pocket of sunshine - or we'll look east towards Ceour d'Alene.
 
I think SoBelle was a bit harsh on the PNW. This morning I'm looking out my window to beautiful clear skies and water, and it's been that way for the better part of a week, with just a drizzly half day here or there all summer. I find it absolutely wonderful here in the San Juan Islands, but then we're in a micro-climate on the edge of the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountains. The boating is among the best in the world and almost unlimited. the temperatures almost never get that high, so to me the humidity is not even a factor. But then, our experience is a little limited in that we spend a little over half the year here, and the other half in AZ escaping the damp and dark days of late Fall, Winter, and early Spring.
 
C-Sharp":2afx95lg said:
I think SoBelle was a bit harsh on the PNW. This morning I'm looking out my window to beautiful clear skies and water, and it's been that way for the better part of a week, with just a drizzly half day here or there all summer. I find it absolutely wonderful here in the San Juan Islands, but then we're in a micro-climate on the edge of the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountains. The boating is among the best in the world and almost unlimited. the temperatures almost never get that high, so to me the humidity is not even a factor. But then, our experience is a little limited in that we spend a little over half the year here, and the other half in AZ escaping the damp and dark days of late Fall, Winter, and early Spring.
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Yes, the summer in the PNW can be quite nice. However, it can be a bit of a gamble. Sometime years it lasts for awhile and is great. Other times the nice days of summer can be only a week or two long. One fall when I was living in Renton, it rained for 100 days straight. Even the people who had lived there a long time thought that was a bit much. Living in the PNW will teach you appreciation for a nice sunny day.

That all said, I'd move back the PNW in a heartbeat if I could, but it's not for the sunny days on the beach.
 
Weather Spark is a pretty cool website that does a good job of showing the general weather trends for an area, including humidity. It does make Orcas Island look quite comfortable. Other areas that might be nice are Sequim, Port Washington, and Port Townsend.

We've definitely outgrown hot beach weather so we're not looking for that but we don't want gray and raining most of the time. We would love to be able to have the windows open and just generally be outside as much as possible.

Another area I'm researching is Coeur d'Alene, ID. Seems to have pretty good summer weather. Obviously not the boating opportunities of the PNW though.
 
If "cultural climate" matters to you, be aware that overall it is quite liberal on the west side of the Cascades, and quite conservative on the east side of the Cascades (and on into Idaho too).

P.S. The west side is grey most of the time if you look at the entire year. Stats => in Seattle it is mostly cloudy 201 days per year, and if you include partly cloudy days, the number jumps to 294 days per year.
 
curioustraveler":10pmzyx6 said:
... just generally be outside as much as possible. ...
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The weather in the PNW does not prevent the people of the region being outside as much as possible. In general they tend to be more outdoorsy than most. You just have to be prepared for the conditions you encounter.

The other thing is that you can travel less than a hundred miles (often a lot less) and find weather conditions very different from what you are experiencing now. But if you are not the travelling type, you just have to take what comes your way.

As for the Weinhard's commercial. Been there, done that. All those logs make nice wind breaks.
 
Willamette Valley is pretty ideal. An hour or so to the coast, an hour or so to the desert. Winters are usually mild. Only have a few days of really warm weather. It does rain a bit, but it is real rain, not the drizzle of nw washington. In washington they say september 1 to july 4 is suicide season. Lived there for ten years and I will take the willamette valley anytime over that.
 
The NW Oregon coast is another choice. If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes.

Back in the early 70s there was an old guy at mill where I worked who would always reply, when weather was mentioned, "Only a fool and a tourist predicts the weather in the state of Oregon. I have lived here too long to be called a tourist and I certainly don't profess to being a fool."

I know a California couple who moved up the the Port Angeles area and really seem to enjoy the climate and scenery. Check out the latest videos on his FB page.
 
curioustraveler":2pwopr2d said:
Hello PNW C-Brats,

My wife and I currently live in Annapolis and we're trying to determine where we want to retire. I'm about 12 years out so we have some time.

We love the water, and the Chesapeake Bay is great, but the summer heat and humidity coupled with the bugs is too much for my wife. We lived in Colorado for a while and the weather (sunny, dry, no bugs) ruined us for enjoying the weather any where else.

When thinking about combining our love for the mountains and the water, obviously the PNW comes up high on the list. (And I already have the perfect boat!) All we ever hear about is how rainy and cloudy it is but I don't think I've ever actually spoken with someone who lives there. Just like first hand experience of CO weather is different from what most people think (it's not a blizzard everyday?) I know WA weather may not actually be gloomy for 365 days a year.

So I'd love to hear from those of you who live in the region. Since we'll be retired, we aren't limited to any specific cities in the area. I'd love to be close to the water but we could be inland as well. Also, it may just be for the summers.

What's most important for us is relatively low humidity, lack of bugs, and a good amount of sun. Should we consider the area?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I grew up in Harford County, MD, and over the years did about everything the Chesapeake Bay had to offer with my waterman father, hunting, crabbing (pots, lines and stalking/wading), fishing, kayaking, sailing, even "body booting" in the Susquehanna flats. I loved growing up there and thought I would live there. I came to Puget Sound 35 years ago for what I thought would be a year or two and stayed. I wound up retiring on Anderson Island, the southernmost island in Puget Sound. Think Smith or Tangier in the Chesapeake and you have something like it geologically, but without the history and watermen. South Sound is much quieter than the industrial northern and middle of Puget Sound. In Seattle and much of the region at sea level it rains about as much as in Annapolis, about 40 inches/year. It can snow, but generally not much. Though rain does very widely when you are in the "rain shadow" of the Olympic mountains winter can be really pleasant, dry and sunny. Summers are fantastic, generally warm, sunny, dry (low humidity). There can be bugs, mostly mosquitos, but nothing like Maryland or Virginia. I haven't encountered "no-see-ums", which to me were the bane of the Chesapeake, but I have been told they exist. Winter days yield little rain in your rain guage in most places, but plenty of clouds and lack of sun. Rain shadow places like Sequim (pron "squim") get only 16 inches per year and lots of winter sun. Summers are awesome weatherwise, but choked with tourists. I like this area but summer there is crazy, and I can't afford it anyway. Water is right there, and mountains are minutes away. Overall, rainfall increases a lot with elevation. So does snowfall, and you can go skiing or snowshoeing on Mt Rainier glaciers in August if you want. Lots to like and you are welcome to visit.
 
curioustraveler":28g6ykx8 said:
ssobol":28g6ykx8 said:
That all said, I'd move back the PNW in a heartbeat if I could, but it's not for the sunny days on the beach.
Click to expand...

Curious why you'd move back in a heartbeat?
Click to expand...

I've lived in the SeaTac area twice now and spent summers on VI when I was a kid. Loved the area. You have the sea, mountains, the outdoors, nice towns, lots to see and do all in a fairly compact area.

However, I'm in a very specialized career field and there are very few positions in the PNW.
 
robhwa":2sle7xnb said:
... Think Smith or Tangier in the Chesapeake and you have something like it geologically, ....

... In Seattle and much of the region at sea level it rains about as much as in Annapolis, about 40 inches/year. .....
Click to expand...

The other difference with Smith or Tangier is that the islands in the PNW are not sinking into the sea or being rapidly eroded. In the PNW, the islands are solid rock that stood up to glaciers rather than being mostly sand and soft materials.

It is true that Seattle only gets ~40 inches of rain/year. However, the rain comes down pretty slowly most of the time so it takes many more days of rainy weather to accumulate that amount. In the Mid Atlantic you can get rainfall in inches/hour so the accumulation rate is much faster. As a result, even if you have the palest of green thumbs, you can grow a spectacular garden.

On the Olympic Peninsula (not that far from Seattle) the annual rainfall amount is 200+ inches/year. On San Juan Island the rainfall is ~20 inches/year.

The winter snowfall in the North Cascades can be 100' (yes, feet) of accumulation.
 
Once travel becomes safe again we'll plan a trip out there. What are some cities we should visit that are in the "rain shadow?" Sequim, Port Angeles...

I really believe it's probably the type of place one has to experience to understand the weather. I'm looking online at various webcams and it's amazing how different it is from location to location even when only 10 or so miles away.

We don't need Colorado's 360 days of blue skies and sun but I'm trying to avoid this (taken a few minutes ago from the Forks, WA webcam.)

Screenshot_2020_07_19_at_5_10_04_PM.sized.png
 
curioustraveler" . . . said:
What are some cities we should visit that are in the "rain shadow?" Sequim, Port Angeles...
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satellite.jpg

At least in the Washington portion of the shadow, "city" may be a bit of a stretch. However, the area between Port Angeles and Port Townsend is turning into one long development. At least half of the cities/towns (villages?) in the shadow are on islands. If money is no object, you may still be able to buy a lot next to Oprah Winfrey in the San Juan Islands. There is a Canadian candidate, as well, and Victoria is probably 4 or 5 times the size of Port Angeles, the next biggest place in the shadow.
 
ssobol":3r3d0erp said:
robhwa":3r3d0erp said:
... Think Smith or Tangier in the Chesapeake and you have something like it geologically, ...
Click to expand...

The other difference with Smith or Tangier is that the islands in the PNW are not sinking into the sea or being rapidly eroded. In the PNW, the islands are solid rock that stood up to glaciers rather than being mostly sand and soft materials.
Click to expand...

Yes, owning real estate along the Chesapeake or on Smith or Tangier might be a temporary thing, built from recessional outwash compared to the largely rock and compacted glacial till islands and shores in Puget Sound.

https://www.chesapeakequarterly.net/sealevel/main8/

Erosion tends to be local and not as widespread here. It can be a problem where large rivers were damned, reducing beach building sediment. However, no islands are expected to completely disappear here in the next 100 or so years.

I love visiting the area highlighted in the Olympic Mts primary rain shadow, but you need to realize how vulnerable it is to the eventual subduction zone earthquake (similar to Japan Tōhoku earthquake in 1911) that will occur.

https://patch.com/washington/seattle/ts ... it-unfolds

The coast will be hit worst, but this is a real issue for places like Port Angeles and Victoria, and among reasons I picked South Sound. Since my kids are gone and I don't have as many years as I once had left, I would consider enjoying the nicer weather if I could. I do enjoy them by boat. $ and quiet were primary reasons I bought a house here. Rain shadow areas are EXPENSIVE!
 
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