Does seattle really rain that much

The Olympic Rain Shadow is one of the reasons for the lack of hefty rainfall totals in the Seattle area. Basically, when moisture encounters the Olympic Mountains, west of Seattle, the mountains force the air upward. As the air moves upward, it condenses and moisture is squeezed out. Then as the air comes down the eastern slopes, it sinks and becomes drier. This leaves less moisture in the atmosphere east of the mountains, where Seattle is located.

Cities in the Northeast that receive notably more rainfall than Seattle include New York, which sees an average of In other words, New York enjoys the equivalent of a month of additional dry days compared to Seattle, but picks up about a foot of additional rainfall.

Atlanta and Charleston, South Carolina, also see about 50 inches of rain per year and expereience rainy days per year, with 15 of those measuring at least 1 inch of rainfall.

Miami is another southern location that receives significantly more rain than Seattle, but in fewer days. Miami records an average of It is also worth noting that Miami usually reports 19 days annually with at least 1 inch of rain, compared with 5 in Seattle. Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans measure more than 60 inches of rain annually and this rain accumulates over only and days. Yes, Seattle is a dreary place -- but I like it that way. What can I say? I'm a pluviophile. View the discussion thread.

Alex Berezow is a PhD microbiologist, science writer, and public speaker who specializes in the debunking of junk science for the American Council on Science and Health. Formerly, he was the founding editor of RealClearScience. Skip to main content. How Rainy Is Seattle? Cities email facebook linkedin twitter reddit print. California town representative of unrelenting drought s travails. Would biotech have helped?

Happy, Safe 4th--and Watch the Weather. A rainy day at Irwin's Credit: Alex Berezow. The first chart below depicts the wettest cities ranked by total precipitation: At Humidity, and the mountains hold in the heat a bit. SF gets the dog rolling in from the ocean through the Golden Gate.

Seattle has the Olympic Mountains to block and fog, with the ocean being on the other side. The average winter temperature in Seattle is relatively mild, with January experiencing the coldest monthly temps — the average high is 47 degrees F and the average low is February is typically a few degrees warmer.

Seattle, by contrast, has a mean temperature of 40 F. Well above freezing. And providing clouds and moisture throughout the year.