Rain, Rain, Go Away
There was an interesting yet dreary article online this morning about Seattle’s seasonably rainy weather. Apparently “The Emerald City” (I always hated that nickname) has experienced 22 straight days of rain now, with no signs of it stopping anytime soon. Starting on December 19, and going through today, it’s been a rainy-showery-angels-pissing-on-you kind of day, everyday. The kind of weather only ducks, banana slugs, and Seattleites with webbed feet enjoy.
From the AP article:
With more wet weather predicted over the next several days, Seattle may soon break a record set in 1953. The city saw 33 consecutive days of measurable precipitation then — the most since the National Weather Service office there started tracking rainfall in 1931.
"Usually we have a few days of rain and one or two days of cloudy and dreary days and then it rains again and that's the way it goes," weather service meteorologist Johnny Burg said Monday. "We're not getting our dry days in between — just having one system follow another."
22 days of nonstop rain. Ick. As a former Seattleite, I feel their pain, and the weather there is one of the main reasons why I won’t move back. I couldn’t take it any longer.
Now, let me say this: When the weather is nice in the Rainy City, there’s nowhere nicer. The temps rarely get above 85, and the humidity is comfortable, so the evenings cool off rather nicely.
The problem is, it’s nice about 30 days a year, max. Either the rest of the year is an overcast thrill-a-minute, or it’s drizzling on you. Take your choice, then take your Prozac, ‘cause your gonna need it to deal with the seasonal depression.
The skies over Seattle usually cloud over in early October, and you won’t see the sun again until one day (maybe two days) in early March. Then the heavens will miraculously clear up, the beaches will be packed, the drive-ins will do record business, and people will rejoice that for the first time in months you can step outside and not worry about landing in a puddle. Quick, someone release a dove, and see if it brings back an olive branch. But alas - the Big Tease will soon be over, and the April Showers will show up (early, of course), and the whole rain-turning-to-showers-turning-to-rain scenario starts all over again. Until at least the fourth of July, because there is no such thing as a holiday in Western WA without the traditional downpour. (Hot dogs, apple pie, and cloudy skies with an 80 percent chance of rain. Yep, sounds like a Seattle celebration to me!)
Now, I know people – family members, in fact – who absolutely love Seattle’s weather. They love the cool temperatures and the cozy feeling you get from sitting by the fire after yet another day of being pelted by cold, drizzly raindrops. My younger sister wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else. But me? It drove me batty. Days and days and days of nonstop rain. Constantly feeling like moss will grow on you any moment. All the stale “Seattleites don’t tan – they rust” jokes. Having to wear your winter jacket in August. Ugh. I put up with it for 30 years, which is more than enough, thank you.
So I may bitch and moan about freezing my little Gressel butt off in Iowa every December-March, but in many ways it beats the hell out of having to play Noah in Western Washington 10 months a year. I may be cold, dammit, but at least I can see the blue sky while shivering.
Of course, Florida sunshine leaves them both in the dust, but that’s a boast for another day.
From the AP article:
With more wet weather predicted over the next several days, Seattle may soon break a record set in 1953. The city saw 33 consecutive days of measurable precipitation then — the most since the National Weather Service office there started tracking rainfall in 1931.
"Usually we have a few days of rain and one or two days of cloudy and dreary days and then it rains again and that's the way it goes," weather service meteorologist Johnny Burg said Monday. "We're not getting our dry days in between — just having one system follow another."
22 days of nonstop rain. Ick. As a former Seattleite, I feel their pain, and the weather there is one of the main reasons why I won’t move back. I couldn’t take it any longer.
Now, let me say this: When the weather is nice in the Rainy City, there’s nowhere nicer. The temps rarely get above 85, and the humidity is comfortable, so the evenings cool off rather nicely.
The problem is, it’s nice about 30 days a year, max. Either the rest of the year is an overcast thrill-a-minute, or it’s drizzling on you. Take your choice, then take your Prozac, ‘cause your gonna need it to deal with the seasonal depression.
The skies over Seattle usually cloud over in early October, and you won’t see the sun again until one day (maybe two days) in early March. Then the heavens will miraculously clear up, the beaches will be packed, the drive-ins will do record business, and people will rejoice that for the first time in months you can step outside and not worry about landing in a puddle. Quick, someone release a dove, and see if it brings back an olive branch. But alas - the Big Tease will soon be over, and the April Showers will show up (early, of course), and the whole rain-turning-to-showers-turning-to-rain scenario starts all over again. Until at least the fourth of July, because there is no such thing as a holiday in Western WA without the traditional downpour. (Hot dogs, apple pie, and cloudy skies with an 80 percent chance of rain. Yep, sounds like a Seattle celebration to me!)
Now, I know people – family members, in fact – who absolutely love Seattle’s weather. They love the cool temperatures and the cozy feeling you get from sitting by the fire after yet another day of being pelted by cold, drizzly raindrops. My younger sister wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else. But me? It drove me batty. Days and days and days of nonstop rain. Constantly feeling like moss will grow on you any moment. All the stale “Seattleites don’t tan – they rust” jokes. Having to wear your winter jacket in August. Ugh. I put up with it for 30 years, which is more than enough, thank you.
So I may bitch and moan about freezing my little Gressel butt off in Iowa every December-March, but in many ways it beats the hell out of having to play Noah in Western Washington 10 months a year. I may be cold, dammit, but at least I can see the blue sky while shivering.
Of course, Florida sunshine leaves them both in the dust, but that’s a boast for another day.
posted by Tommy G at
9:19 AM
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