If we’re talking about the contiguous U.S.
It turns out that Orlando is #6 on the list of cities that receive the most rain and gets an average of 51.5″ per year!Ĭheck out how Seattle’s paltry 37″ stacks up to the top ten, I’m sure you’ll find some surprises here: City When we recently took a trip to Orland, Florida we decided to compare it with Seattle’s annual 37 inches of rainfall to get an idea of what to expect. If you’re planning a trip, odds are you make sure to check out the weather at your destination. Comparing Seattle With Actual Rainy Cities This combination of factors results in Seattle’s seemingly endless rainfall or “mistfall” as I call it. The Pacific Ocean’s thermal inertia keeps Seattle relatively mild throughout the year, preventing extreme weather patterns and ensuring a steady supply of moisture through prevailing westerly winds. So when the moist air from the Aleutian Low encounters the Cascades, it is forced to rise, cooling and condensing into clouds laden with precipitation. Wait, what? Don’t worry, Orographic Lift is just a fancy term for air being forced high as it moved over rising terrain (such as a mountain) These mountains serve as a shield for Seattle, protecting it from the cold, dry air of the Canadian interior while also causing the phenomenon known as Orographic Lift. This semi-permanent low-pressure system spins counterclockwise, drawing moisture-laden air from the tropics northward.Īs the Aleutian Low’s influence extends toward the Pacific Northwest (including Seattle), it collides with the Cascade Range (the mountains that run North/South just to the west of Seattle). To the northwest of Seattle, there is a meteorological phenomenon called the Aleutian Low, a semi-permanent low-pressure system that squats cyclone-like over the Aleutian Islands. It’s a little bit technical so hold onto your butt. Why Does It Rain So Much In Seattle?īefore we get to the point of comparing how rainy Seattle is in comparison to other cities in the U.S., let’s take a minute to talk about why it rains “so much” in Seattle in the first place. Most locals carry (or wear) a rain shell every time they go out as there is nearly a 50% chance you’ll get caught in at least some level of rain and no one wants to show up to work slightly soggy. Instead, you’ll get a constant greenhouse-level misting that will ruin your hair, make the streets slick and muddy, and rob your body of the chance to produce any Vitamin D. Such storms are very rare in Seattle and much of the pacific northwest. While other areas of the country (such as my original hometown in Utah) get most of their annual rainfall through sporadic ground-soaking deluges. However, very rarely is the amount of rain actually significant as the “150-days-number” measures every day that receives more than. In fact, Seattle typically has around 150 rainy days per year, beating out other major PNW cities such as Portland. The truth is that Seattle has a lot of rainy days. But I can answer both in one go, it rains a lot in Seattle but doesn’t rain a lot in Seattle… clear as mud? This question is actually two questions in one. Gray and cloudy weather without rain is another story. So it rains in Seattle roughly 9.4% of the time. On an average year, Seattle has 822 hours during which there is measurable rain. However, Seattle is #6 when it comes to days with measurable rainfall with more than 150 days per year having some level of misty rain. In fact, it doesn’t even rank in the top 10 for inches of rain received. Despite many people considering Seattle to be one of the wettest cities on the west coast, its level of raininess is constantly exaggerated.ĭespite its reputation as a “rainy” city, Seattle actually receives far less rain than the rainiest cities in the United States. However, just because “everybody knows something” doesn’t make it anywhere near true. That and the fact that Seattle-ites love their coffee. If there’s one thing everyone knows, it’s that it rains constantly in Seattle.
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