rainfall comparison and the Sequim Banana Belt

We spent the holiday weekend in Sequim, hoping for a little break from the typical winter rain.  As it turns out, a storm went through most of Western Washington, so it didn’t really work out to be a dry weekend.  On the bright side, we did have clear weather for most of Sunday so we walked Dungeness Spit and the bluffs nearby.





I found myself fascinated by the Olympic rain shadow effect and had to double check that the Sequim Banana belt is a real thing, despite our experience.  It most certainly is.

Here is a list of the average rainfall for a few cities I felt like comparing (from http://average-rainfall.weatherdb.com/).

• Sequim  - 16”
• Winthrop – 22”
• Port Angeles – 27”
• Seattle – 36”
• Pittsburgh, PA – 38”
• Portland, OR – 39”
• Issaquah – 40”
• Kent – 40”
• Boston, MA – 44”
• Preston – 57”
• Shelton – 65”
• Forks – 100”

In addition to the rain shadow, this totally supports my experience that we’re often driving in to the rain when we visit Shelton or drive east on I-90. 

I also want to emphasize the rainfall comparisons between Seattle, Pittsburgh and Boston, which few people in those eastern cities seem to grasp.  The summer downpours in Boston and Pittsburgh are quite a downer.  Of course, some people seem to prefer that to the long series of cloudy, drizzly days here in Seattle.  To each their own.  Take a look at this comparison of Boston and Seattle during a few representative months.  July is wildly different.