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Seattle News Archives & Features

Port Townsend

Annual average total precipitation: 18.74 inches

Port Townsend, located in the Olympic rain shadow, is about two hours northwest of Seattle on the Peninsula. While mild, the town gets cool breezes and fog from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's known for its many Victorian buildings remaining from the 19th century.

Check out nearby Fort Worden State Park and the bell tower on the bluff above town, one of only two of its kind in the U.S.

Sequim

Annual average total precipitation: 16.45 inches

Sequim is about two hours west of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula. Just north of a rain forest, Sequim is not only the driest city in Western Washington, but also the sunniest. It's known for its Dungeness crab and famous lavender. In fact, the Lavender Capital of North America celebrates the fragrant plant every July during Sequim Lavender Weekend.

Be sure to check out the Olympic Game Farm and the New Dungeness Lighthouse, one of the oldest in the state.

Lopez Island

Annual average total precipitation: 19 inches

Several of the San Juan Islands boast a dry climate, but the wetter islands can receive 9 to 10 inches of more rain than the drier areas. Lopez, the third largest in the group, is one of those drier islands. It's about a 40 minute ferry ride from Anacortes.

Because it's flatter than most of the other major islands, Lopez is perfect for taking a bike tour. Just make sure you're ready to wave ... at every passing driver, biker, and pedestrian.

Anacortes

Annual average total precipitation: 21 inches

Often thought of as the gateway to the islands, Anacortes, technically a city, is located about 90 minutes north of Seattle. It gets about half the rainfall as Seattle and its ferry terminal serves Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and San Juan Islands, as well as Victoria.

Check out the Anacortes Arts Festival in August and the motorcycle-friendly Oyster Run in September.

Coupeville

Annual average total precipitation: 20 inches

Coupeville, located about an hour and 40 minutes northwest of Seattle on Whidbey Island, is the second oldest town in Washington state. Take the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry or Port Townsend-Keystone ferry route (pictured above) to get to Coupeville.

Stroll Front St. and grab a bite to eat or head west on Hwy 20 to Fort Ebey Park, built as a coastal defense fort in World War II.

Port Angeles

Annual average total precipitation: 25 inches

Port Angeles, about two and a half hours north of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula, is situated in the rain shadow and is the headquarters of Olympic National Park. The weather is usually mild except for occasional Arctic cold fronts that sweep across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the winter months.

Port Angeles, birthplace of football hall of famer John Elway, has a newly renovated waterfront worth checking out this summer.

Driest towns in Western Washington

Seattle, Washington, USA

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