Sunshine during the summers in the rain shadow were nearly equal to Seattle. However, Sequim saw 5 times more sunny days than Seattle in winter. This dryer, sunnier climate is known as the rain shadow effect.
Simply put, Sequim is a great place to retire. The beautiful landscape, wide choice of recreation and great community make it a paradise for active adults. That coupled with a affordable cost of living makes the choice clear.
The San Juan Islands are considered by many as the most sunny of the Western Washington region, getting somewhere around 300 days of clearing or partial clearing per year from what I understand.
Even though Western Washington has a reputation for its abundance of rain, Port Angeles sits in what's called a rain shadow — or the “banana belt†of Washington. Port Angeles receives, on average, 10 less inches per year of rain than Seattle and has 128 days of mostly sun compared with only 88 for Seattle.
Port Townsend, Washington gets 23 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year. Port Townsend averages 2 inches of snow per year.
The CommunityLocated in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, Whidbey Island experiences half the annual rainfall of Seattle.
This driest area centers around Sequim, which appears to be the driest town in all of Western Washington, with a bare 16 inches of yearly rainfall. For years, pilots have called the Sequim area "The Blue Hole" due to its tendency to have relatively clearer skies than areas to the east and west of it.
The Olympic mountains create a dramatic rain shadow effect when storms and moisture arrive off the Pacific Ocean from the south and west, the prevailing storm track in the Pacific Northwest. When the moisture-laden air hits the Olympic Massif it is forced to rise. When the moist air rises, it expands and cools.
The annual precipitation on the Peninsula varies greatly upon location. The southwest portion of the Peninsula (Quinault, Queets, Hoh) is the wettest with an average rainfall of over 140 inches in the lowlands and over 200 inches in the higher mountain elevations.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Port Angeles has an overall cost of living index of 109 which is 1.1x higher than the national index of 100. By definition, that implies Port Angeles ranks as the #2,353 most expensive place in the Evergreen State.
With a crime rate of 41 per one thousand residents, Port Angeles has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 24.
Port Angeles cost of living is 93.9
| COST OF LIVING | Port Angeles | Washington |
|---|
| Overall | 93.9 | 118.7 |
| Grocery | 99.8 | 101.1 |
| Health | 95.7 | 83.8 |
| Housing | 109.6 | 164.9 |
Port Angeles is in the 3rd percentile for safety, meaning 97% of cities are safer and 3% of cities are more dangerous. The rate of crime in Port Angeles is 115.06 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. People who live in Port Angeles generally consider the west part of the city to be the safest.
Port Angeles is headquarters for nearby Olympic National Park and is known for its Salmon Derby (held every Labor Day weekend). It is home to Peninsula College (1961) and a U.S. Coast Guard station, the oldest in the United States.
Port Angeles is an amazing small town on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula. With the rainforest, wild coastlands, awesome views while skiing and snowboarding and some of the most remote wilderness a short trip away, Port Angeles is one of the best small towns in America.
Current Resident: Port Angeles is in a beautiful location, and is an amazing place to live if you love the outdoors and want to live in a small town. Career opportunities are scarce, but its community college, Peninsula College, provides a great community college education and brings a lot of revenue into the town.
Port Angeles is:
The area is amazing for birding, hiking and even seeing whales. – 21 miles from Lake Crescent, Washington's second deepest lake. The region also has superb hiking, biking, kayaking and an incredible history.Our neighbor to the east, Port Townsend, is a historically charming Victoria Seaport worth visiting. While the towns of the Olympic Peninsula, including Port Townsend, Sequim, and Port Angeles, each make wonderful places to visit, they are also extraordinary places to live and work.
The average annual rainfall in Mawsynram, which is recognised as the world's wettest by the Guinness Book of Records, is 11,871mm – more than 10 times the Indian national average of 1,083mm.
Chelan, Tri-cities, and Spokane are highly favored for weather. Most cities west of the Cascade mountain range get a fair vit of rain.
The gloomiest cities in the US
| Rank | City | Annual cloudy days |
|---|
| 1 | ANCHORAGE | 239 |
| 2 | PORTLAND | 222 |
| 3 | EUGENE | 209 |
| 4 | BUFFALO | 208 |
Average annual rainfall in Washington is 38.15 inches, which ranks high compared to other U.S. states. Be sure to bring a rain jacket and umbrella on your trip.
In western Washington, the driest location is the rainshadow of the Olympics, where some locations, such as Sequim, enjoy 15-17 inches of precipitation per year. But if you are looking for REALLY dry conditions, you must head to southeastern Washington, where less than ten inches a year reaches the rain gauge.
PROSSER, Wash. – As Washington state emerges from its most blistering summer on record, the state's hottest place was, ironically, an area known for giant irrigation sprinklers and well-tended orchards and vineyards.
