Beaverstate

It isn't the amount of rain in Seattle/Portland its the number or rainy/overcast days.

Portland as an example averages 156 days per year with rain.

It may only rain a quarter inch but that quarter inch takes all day to fall..drip...drip...drip...

Portland/Seattle has numerous records of 20+ consecutive days of rain.

Summers are however mostly dry, warm, sunny and spectacular.

Moses2013

I think it just depends where you come from, but Seattle is similar to Northern European locations, only with more sun. When I was there it rained, but not for 2 whole weeks. Of course it can happen, but those records are very rare. People say it always rains in Ireland too, but it isn't true. The weather is just very changeable and yesterday I had a jacket on in the morning, but was sitting outside in shorts around 5 pm. If you are a negative person and get a day with a mix of rain and sun, you'll always say it was a bad day. Here an article that might be interesting: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index....hat-much-rain/

Beaverstate

Well Iv'e been in the Portland area for 45 of my 56 years and this past winter has been the warmest on record.
I obviously like it here but for an occaisional odd year it is wet cool and overcast from October through April and sometimes June.
This United States' Rainiest Cities - Current Results shows Portlands annual rainy days at 164.

Moses2013

Lucky you and Portland is not a bad place to be. I think it's pretty much the same here and in Northern Europe that you get those odd years. It can be the coldest winter, then suddenly the warmest summer. In the West of Ireland we don't get really cold winters and summers wouldn't be really hot. Winters sometimes feel colder because of the wind and If you're protected from the wind the sun is really strong and feels a lot hotter. Every year is different and it's certainly changing. We had a really warm April with no rain at all and now it's overcast and grey with occasional rain. At the end of the day weather is what you make of it.

Beaverstate

I welcome anyone here just don't expect San Diego.

Moses2013

Sure

You still do get a great amount of sun in Portland though. More than anywhere in Northern Europe incl. North of Spain.

petitefrancaise

what's the third place?

Anian

If you look up rainfall statistics, the south of the US gets far more volume than Seattle and the northeast has more rainy days.

If you live in the convergent zone outside of Seattle (around Lynnwood) then you get a lot more rain.

If you are commuting to Redmond, live somewhere that you can avoid having to use I-405 at all.

lansbury

It is the overcast that gets me, especially when it's like that for several months. Just gloom. Rain well it's rare it is enough to stop you doing things. Could do with more winters like the last one if it wasn't for the depleted snow pack.

scrubbedexpat091

And it's the mild and dry weather that attract a lot of people to California.

Yorkieabroad

Yorkshire. Or Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Very similar..

cowboysgirlfriend

I live around Bellingham, about 90 miles north of Seattle, but I am down in the city every week for school. I moved over from London last September, and everybody told me the rain would be dreadful - well, it isn't. We had a very mild winter, without a huge amount of rainfall, and warmer than usual. I've seen maybe four or five rainstorms that really took the biscuit, but they were short bursts. I wouldn't really say that it's any worse than Britain.

Seattle itself is a really cool city. Expensive, and everybody drives like an idiot, but it has a lot of fun things to see and do, and the people are friendly. Good places to eat, and lovely country all around. I love the PNW, it is beautiful, and I'm really happy over here

Moses2013

According to data, Seattle & Portland experience a temperate climate with both oceanic and Mediterranean features.

scrubbedexpat091

This winter is not one you want to compare to a more average winter, but the rain is not that bad even in a bad winter, its the overcast days for a week or 2 straight that bother me.

My first winter in the Vancouver region, 10-11 years ago, a record was broke with 20 something consecutive days of rain, but then 2 years ago, a record was broke in July with 31 consecutive days of no rain.

kins

I lived there for just under a year. Nice city, good shopping, heavy traffic. Expensive to buy housing and I found it difficult to find a place to rent. Good amount of skiing fairly nearby. Lack of green areas in the city centre (I worked right in the centre). Olympic peninsula nearby, San Juan islands a bit further away, Oregon coast not too far away either.

I left because of the cost of living and the fact that as it turns out I don't really like big cities.