You're right. "Wet the ground" is the standard. Unlike those days back in
the midwest, gulf, and east coasts, we seldom see downpours that require
drivers to pull over and stop until the rain ends. I don't own an umbrella,
and while I have a waterproof jacket, it stays in the car just in case. The
OP's map talks of thunderstorms, however, and in addition to precip that
means high winds and lightning. I do not miss those components of TRWs. A
lightning storm makes headlines in the papers and brings out the worst in
local TV folks: "I have Dave from Lynnwood on the line...what are the
conditions out there, Dave?" "Oh, lightning struck a tree and the power is
out?? Keep us informed, Dave. Now to Sharon in Federal Way...how is the
storm affecting your area, Sharon??" "Stay with us for the latest on the
lightning storm."

Days without sunshine? Have you heard about melanoma? When we go east or
south to where the skies are an unrelieved blue, we can hardly wait to see
the clouds peek over the mountains as we return.

Bob Gardner


"Icebound" wrote in message
...

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
Compared to all of the places I have lived...Indiana, Connecticut,
Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Maryland, the map confirms my choice to
live in Seattle.



There is no free lunch. :-)

On a list of 285 USA cities (including possessions such as Puerto Rico),
Seattle ranks 38th on the list of AVERAGE number of
days-with-precipitation... and a lot of those are Alaskan mountain
stations, or tropical (Hawaii, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Puerto
Rico, etc.). If I pull out the tropicals (leaving Alaska in), you are 25th
out of 272.

155 days a year with measurable precipitation. That means days in which it
did more than a few spits. It had to at least wet the ground.

Oh, and how about number of hours of sunshine as a percentage of total
possible?
How about 160th out of the 174 USA stations who report such things. A
pitiful 47-percent of possible vs. Miami's 70-percent (25th overall).

NWS data based on Sea-Tac airport records.

No thunderstorms, but no sun either. :-)