MYNORTHWEST OPINION

Study names Seattle the nation’s ‘gloomiest city’, Seattleites shrug

Nov 15, 2019, 5:18 AM | Updated: 6:03 am

It’s a bit disconcerting to hear that a “gloom index” exists, and even more disconcerting that Seattle unsurprisingly topped the list as the nation’s gloomiest city among the 50 largest metro areas. It’s all courtesy of website Best Places. Thanks, Best Places.

With forecasts of frequent fog and dark skies and near-constant rain, it’s not hard to see why Seattle took top gloom billing. The study used a few key environmental factors to quantify just how miserable the weather can be in Seattle, including percentage of cloud cover, average hours of daylight, and days with precipitation, which are as familiar to the Seattle skyline as the Space Needle.

The total gloom score for Seattle is a whopping 90.90. That’s an A, all things considered.

Seattle’s streak of dry weather will soon be followed by near-constant rain

Best Places describes the Seattle gloom in the following manner: “We’ve determined the Gloomiest Places in America, and the Pacific Northwest won’t be happy about it … Topping our list at #1 and #2 are Seattle and Portland – both famous for their coffee shops and the 90’s “grunge” music genre that reflects this oft-oppressive feeling of Gloom.”

Rainy weather and dark skies overtake Puget Sound for foreseeable future

Misery loves company, and so following the Pacific Northwest entries are Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, though it’s unclear whether hearing that makes locals feel better. At least now Seattleities have a specific number to go along with what they’ve long be aware of.

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Study names Seattle the nation’s ‘gloomiest city’, Seattleites shrug