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| Seattle Apartment Locator Services : Seattle Apartments |  | Contents | |
| Climate |
| Seattle's climate is mild, with the temperature moderated
by the sea and protected from winds and storms by the mountains.
The "rainy city" receives an unremarkable 35–38 inches
(890–970 mm) of precipitation a year, less than most major Eastern
Seaboard cities, e.g., New York City averages 47.3 inches (1200
mm), but is cloudy an average of 226 days per year vs. 132 in
New York City. Most of the precipitation falls as drizzle or
light rain because Seattle is in the rain shadow of the Olympic
mountains. The temperature and weather are similar to that of
Vancouver, BC, Seattle's major Canadian neighbor. |
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80 miles (130 km) to the west, the Hoh Rain Forest, in the
Olympic National Park, records an annual average rainfall
of 142 inches (3600 mm), and the Washington state capital,
Olympia, south of the rain shadow, receives 52 inches (1320
mm). Snow falls on occasion, but rarely sticks very long.
Sunnier "California weather" typically dominates
from mid-July through mid-September, arriving later and leaving
earlier than in Portland, Oregon to the south.
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| Serious exceptions to Seattle's raininess can occur during
El Niño years, when the marine weather systems track
to the south, affecting California instead. Since the region
depends on water stored in its mountain snow packs during the
dryer summer months, El Niño winters are not only hard
on the ski areas, but can result in water rationing in the summer
and a shortage of hydro-electric generated power. |
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