Seattle has a reputation for being rainy, right? Well let me share some fun rain facts… The national average annual rainfall is 38 inches, and actually, the average in Seattle is… 38 inches! But unbeknownst to me when we moved here, we average about 67 inches of rain per year here in North Bend, and 54 in Snoqualmie. The first month after we moved here, we broke rainfall records with a whopping 19 inches of rain in just one month. That’s a lot of rain, ya’ll. I thought I would never see the sun again…
At an elevation of only 443 feet in North Bend, we do generally get one good snow each winter. And given the elevation of the mountains surrounding town, we can generally see snow-covered peaks for much of the winter. Compare that elevation to about 3,000 feet at the highest point on the highway at Snoqualmie Pass, and significantly higher for the mountain peaks. So we get more snow than Seattle, but not nearly as much as the Pass where snow can be measured in feet instead of inches. In fact, on I-90, exit 34 is the last exit for North Bend, and the point where the highway shuts down if the mountain pass is closed due to treacherous winter weather conditions.
We have interesting weather here, to say the least. From “Juneuary” with chilly summer weather this year, to 120+ degree temps in 2021 causing roads to buckle, to record rainfalls, it’s really a mixed bag. But to sum it up for you… summers are generally very dry with sunny, beautiful days, and summer weather normally starts around mid-to-late June, or even early July. You can generally count on good weather through much of September, after which fall, winter, and spring can be rainy and overcast. It doesn’t often get super cold or super hot and we are blessed with mild temperatures and low humidity. So, if you are visiting, my recommendation is to dress in layers and be prepared for rain.
