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Archive for the ‘Sequim Rain Shadow’ Category
Sequim Washington: Retirement Heaven
Author: Chuck Marunde19 Jun
Sequim is well known as a retirement haven, and here’s the good news-it really is an incredible place to retire and to live. I raised my own family here, and I can tell you there’s no place I would rather live. Why? A lot of reasons, but here are a few that might be relevant to you if you are considering moving to Sequim.
- Sequim is a peaceful little community of 4,000 people in the city limits.
- Sequim is far away from busy freeways and traffic jams.
- Sequim is close to water with the Strait of Juan de Fuca and John Wayne Marina.
- Sequim is within a short drive of the Olympic National Forest, old growth trees, and hiking.
- Sequim is an incredible community of volunteers, more than I’ve ever seen anywhere.
- Sequim is full of some of the most interesting people you will ever meet, including world travelers, rocket scientists, authors, artists, retired CEO’s of huge corporations, inventors, and boring people like me.
- Sequim has an amazing variety of recreational activities, including biking, hiking, fishing, boating, running, kayaking, bird watching, golfing, and on and on.
- Sequim has more hobbyists than any town I’ve ever seen. Name a hobby. There’s a group here for it, and they meet regularly.
- Sequim is in a rain shadow, and the climate and weather are nearly perfect. I can say that having lived in Alaska and in Nevada.
- Sequim has no crime. Well, that’s an exaggeration. There was a bicycle stolen last year. (Okay, I’m kidding, but there really is hardly any crime here at all. Read the police blotter, and you’ll break out laughing.)
- Sequim is about a 2 hour drive (plus, depending on your driving) from Seattle if you like to venture back into the metropolis.
- There are so many water view lots and houses for sale here at reasonable prices, it’s almost ridiculous. (Our market hasn’t crashed like many places in the country, so don’t ask if you can buy a beautiful 3 bedroom home for $150,000.)
Come and see Sequim. You might just . . . love it!
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Sunny Sequim Washington: The Rainshadow
Author: Chuck Marunde25 May
Summer has arrived in Sequim, and it is absolutely beautiful with the sun shining brightly but the temperature not too hot. This is what Sequim looks like today. Why aren’t you here yet?
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Robin Hill Park in Sequim Washington
Author: Chuck Marunde23 Oct
It was a challenging day at work, and I was looking forward to a nice jog in Robin Hill Park in Sequim. So I opened up the sliding glass door to my deck and walked across the back yard where I opened the gate to the winding serene trails of Robin Hill Park.
I took the 2.4 mile loop, which gently meanders through the trees and across meadows, falls into a sweet little gulley and works its way up and around to my back yard again. I didn’t see anyone. I rarely do, although I know others are out there walking, jogging, riding their bikes, and some are riding horses on the trails designated for that purpose.
The sun was already low in the sky as evening approached, and the beams of 
bright light were streaking through the pine trees, which were emitting the fresh scent of pine needles and all things green and woodsy.
The 195 acre park is maintained by Clallam County and is almost hidden from public view. The Olympic Discovery Trail runs alongside the park stretching for many miles in either direction. There is no limit to how far I can walk, jog, or ride my bike, except my own physical endurance.
Hmm. No wonder I love living in Sequim.
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Sequim Weather and Port Angeles Weather Compared
Author: Chuck Marunde17 Sep
What’s the secret of Sequim weather? Is there a rain shadow? Is it warmer and does the sun shine more in Sequim than in Port Angeles? Well, this is a topic of conversation from Port Angeles to Santa Barbara and Houston. Finally, you can compare the weather in Sequim and Port Angeles LIVE right here.
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Bookmark this article so you can come back periodically and see the weather comparison yourself. Courtesy of Chuck Marunde and Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC.
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Sequm Rainfall v. Port Angeles Rainfall
Author: Chuck Marunde4 Aug
How much does it rain in Sequim, and how does that compare to Port Angeles? The two are only 15 miles apart, so is there really a difference? Yes, but Sequim has done a great job promoting the rain shadow concept, but it is real. Here is the actual rainfall in Sequim and in Port Angeles, and how you can compare that to where you live.
Sequim
Sequim (zip 98382), WA, gets 17 inches of rain per year. Seattle gets 38, and the US average is 37. To compare this with where you live now, go to http://www.citytowninfo.com/places, and enter your city. Snowfall is 5 inches. The average US city gets 25 inches of snow per year. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 122.
Port Angeles
Port Angeles (zip 98362), WA, gets 25 inches of rain per year. Seattle gets 38, and the US average is 37. To compare this with where you live now, go to http://www.citytowninfo.com/places, and enter your city. Snowfall is 15 inches. The average US city gets 25 inches of snow per year. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 148.
Port Angeles rains about 8 more inches per year than Sequim. Port Angeles rains 13 inches less per year than Seattle.
For a LIVE comparison of Sequim and Port Angeles weather right now, go to Sequim Weather and Port Angeles Weather Compared.
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Sequim Rain Shadow - A Technical Explanation
Author: Chuck Marunde25 May
The dominant airflow during rainy days around here is from the southwest. As that air runs into the southwestern face of the Olympics, the mountains push the air upward.
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As the air lifts, it condenses and squeezes out its moisture — think of it as the mountains acting like a sponge soaking up and then squeezing out the rain. That’s the reason there are vast rain forests on the southwestern side of the Olympics. They receive over 200 inches of rain a year.
On the flip side, once the air reaches the Olympic Summit, now it’s pretty much lost its moisture. As it goes over the top of the mountains and comes down the northeastern slopes, it sinks. And just like rising air condenses, sinking air dries out as it encounters warmer air near the surface. So you already have semi-dry air becoming even drier.
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And, of course, Sequim sits on the northeast side of the Olympics, so they are almost always in this dry slot — although the shadow affects Port Townsend and the San Juan Islands as well. Sequim only gets about 18 inches of rain a year. Meanwhile, just 90 miles to the west, Forks receives over 120 inches of rain a year.
Check out this map of state annual rainfall totals. You can see how dry it is around the Sequim area, and how wet it is on the southwest side of the Olympics.
One interesting statistic: Port Angeles receives about 27 inches of rain a year. However, for each mile you go west of that city, you pick up an extra inch of annual rainfall.
Not Just For Sequim
But the Olympics just don’t cast their rain shadow over Sequim. In cases where the wind pattern is more westerly, the shadow will then be over the Seattle Metro area. That’s why Seattle only receives about 37 inches of rain a year — there are plenty of rainy days where Seattle gets less than others as we get the benefit of the rain shadow. If the Olympics weren’t there, Seattle would probably get closer to 50-60 inches of rain a year.
Cascade Rain Shadow
And of course, almost all of Eastern Washington is in the Cascade Rain Shadow. The physics are the same — the Cascades squeeze out most of the moisture and leave very little to make it over to Eastern Washington. That’s why it’s so dry over there. Meanwhile, rainfall totals pick up once again as you head into the western Cascade foothills.
Source: KOMO TV
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