Seattle summer weather: Is the June gloom more myth than reality?
Jun 27, 2023, 1:54 PM | Updated: Aug 14, 2023, 2:15 pm
Seattle’s gloomy July weather is actually completely normal. (MyNorthwest file)
(MyNorthwest file)
On the calendar, summer began June 21. Yet, many voice the myth that summer in western Washington does not begin until July 5.
Does that line of thinking ring true? Looking at the weather history so far this century, and using Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) as a measuring stick for the period of June 21 thru the end of the month, the airport has actually had six totally dry starts to summer so far this century.
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With no rain in sight for the rest of this month, this year will also be another dry start to summer, much like last year.
Yes, there have been some wet June gloom outsets to summer since the year 2000. In 2001, 2.41 inches of rain fell during the latter part of June – a really wet one.
In 2012, 2013, and again in 2020, Sea-Tac also received just over an inch of rain. Yet, there have also been five years where the airport saw less than a total of a tenth of an inch since 2000.
The start of summer has also had some warm temperatures as well. Since 2000, there have been 15 years when high temperatures topped 80 degrees at Sea-Tac, including 2021, when a record high of 108 degrees was set on June 28. The years 2006, 2013, 2015, 2017, and last year also saw days that exceeded 90 degrees during the latter part of June.
More sunshine and warm, but not hot temperatures, are in store for the rest of this month. And this dry period looks to continue through the Fourth of July too! Enjoy this fine start to summer.
Follow Ted Buehner, the KIRO FM news meteorologist on Twitter.
