explaining seattle rain

compliments of Hage Creative

I love this explanation of our rainy weather in Seattle.  Having little ones around now, I definitely cherish the sun more because it’s our chance to explore the world outside the confines of our little home.  Without the sun I dread taking the boys out- however I have experienced the Woodland Park Zoo in a downpour- that was an experience! Quoted from Go Northwest:

Seattle has a well-deserved wet and rainy reputation, perpetuated not least by the self-depreciating humor of its citizens. It is a pertinent point that the 36 inches of annual rainfall received by Seattle each year is less than the annual rainfall of places like New York. It is just that the rain comes down over a longer period–often precipitating as a slow drizzle, begrudgingly deposited by low lying clouds that seem to hang around far longer than necessary to get the job done.

The waters throughout the Puget landscape can but reflect the gray skies, resulting in somewhat monochromatic views. Mysterious, if that’s your cup of latte, depressing if it’s not. Yet these mists and rain keep Seattle cleaner and greener than most cities of a similar size. It takes only a day of sunshine to shake the winter blues. The city sparkles, the land lies green and beckoning across the bays, rivers and waterways as the landscape is transformed from gray monotones into the glittering hues that earn the “Emerald City” its nickname.

Perhaps those winter months have fostered the production of artifacts by which Seattle has made its presence felt. On the face of it, the cultural icons of grunge-rock, espresso coffee and software may seem an odd combination. Could it be, however that one is the expression of the winter blues, one the antidote to the winter blues, and one the productive use of short, rainy days?

So for all those times, my mom told me to move back to Portland- here’s why I stay…I live in the Emerald City!  Still love you mom.