Seattle has been dubbed the “rainy city.” And, looking around at its famous, lush evergreen forests which gave Seattle the nickname Emerald City, you might think so too. After all, a certain amount of rain is necessary to keep these forests alive and thriving. So, if you’re planning to visit or move to Seattle, it’s no surprise that you’d be wondering if it does really rain all the time in Seattle.
The short answer is no, however public adjustment to Washington’s rainy city is not an easy one. But, if you’re a pluviophile, you might still find Seattle weather perfect for you. Anyway, you might want to read our detailed explanation below to get the whole picture.
How Much Rain Does Seattle Receive?
The bad rap Seattle has received is mainly due to the number of days it rains, not the amount. While the city only receives around 40 inches (about 1,000 mm) of rain, this is spread over 150 days, on average. So, you might get a drizzle every now and then but not a full on downpour. That’s because “it actually only rains 9.4% of the time in Seattle, not 94%!”
Does Seattle Deserve the Nickname ‘Rainy City’?
No, not really. Seattle isn’t the rainiest city in the U.S.
Rain can be measured in terms of annual precipitation total and/or through the number of days with measurable precipitation. A rainy day is defined as a calendar day with at least 0.01 inches of rain, or melted snow and ice. In both of those metrics, Seattle doesn’t bag the no. 1 spot.
The following lists are based on data on the country’s weather patterns from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Rainiest cities in terms of annual precipitation vs. Seattle
When it comes to the wettest place in the U.S., no other area beats Mt. Waialeale, located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The second highest point in Kauai, the volcano receives 460 inches (about 11,700 mm) of rain annually. Because of this, it is also one of the rainiest places on Earth, not so far behind Mawsynram in northern India, which receives 467 inches (around 12,000 mm) of rain per year.
Meanwhile, in the contiguous United States, it is Aberdeen Reservoir in the state of Washington with 130.6 inches (over 3,000 mm) of rainfall, on average, per year. Below, you’ll find the wettest cities in terms of average annual precipitation as of 2022.
| New Orleans, Louisiana | 85.9 inches (around 2,180 mm) |
| Birmingham, Alabama | 72.3 inches (about 1,840 mm) |
| Miami, Florida | 66.8 inches (around 1,700 mm) |
| Nashville, Tennessee | 63.3 inches (about 1,610 mm) |
| New York City, New York | 61.8 inches (1,570 mm) |
| Charleston, South Carolina | 56.4 inches (about 1,430 mm) |
| Atlanta, Georgia | 53.6 inches (around 1,360 mm) |
| Boston, Massachusetts | 52.7 inches (about 1,340 mm) |
| Houston, Texas | 51 inches (around 1,300 mm) |
| Tampa Bay, Florida | 50 inches (1,270 mm) |
As you can see, Seattle isn’t in the top 10. Again, the city only receives about 40 inches or around 1,000 mm of rain per year, on average.
Rainiest cities in terms of number of days vs. Seattle
When it comes to how many days it rains in a year, Seattle still doesn’t take the crown. This belongs to Hilo in Hawaii, which sees rain 211 days annually. Meanwhile, the Alaskan city of Sitka sees 173 days of rain per year.
However, among major cities, Seattle ranks in the top 5. Below is a list of large U.S. cities which rains or snows for more than 130 days annually.
| Buffalo, New York | 167 days |
| Rochester, New York | 162 days |
| Cleveland, Ohio | 156 days |
| Seattle, Washington | 156 days |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 154 days |
| Portland, Oregon | 153 days |
| Columbus, Ohio | 138 days |
| Detroit, Michigan | 136 days |
| Miami, Florida | 134 days |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | 132 days |
Why the bad rap?
As you can see, Seattle is far from the rainiest or wettest city in the country. But, why the reputation?
Well, meteorologist Ted Buehner once explained that the nickname “rainy city” might not have to do with rain after all. He says it’s more because of Seattle’s cloud cover, which looks like it could or should be raining.
“Many other cities are wetter than we are — St. Louis (43 inches), Cleveland (39), Miami (62),” Buehner told The Seattle Times. “It’s just that in Florida, when it rains, it rains a lot during a short amount of time. Then it’ll clear out and won’t rain for a week.”
In Seattle, however, the clouds don’t seem to go away most of the time. In fact, in the continental United States, the city is among the cloudiest, averaging 226 days with more than 80% cloud cover, according to Insider Monkey. “Where do you think they came up with that title, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey?’” Buehner said.
In Seattle, you’ll hear forecasts for “partly sunny” and “partly cloudy.” They’re the same thing, referring to 40 to 60% of the sky being covered with clouds, only the latter is used for nighttime forecasts. While partly cloudy weather is prevalent in summer, winters in Seattle tend to be mostly overcast, with cloud cover at least 55% of the time.
Different Types of Rain in Seattle
People who have lived in Seattle corroborate these data that while there’s no big downpour, the city seems to be covered with clouds most of the time. For instance, Sara Merritt posted on Quora: “I lived in Seattle for about 3 years. It’s not so much the rain that got to me, but the dark, cold, overcast gloom. … Seattle rarely has downpours, but it does have a pretty regular drizzle that’s often uncomfortably more than a drizzle.”
If you stay in Seattle for some time, you’ll soon be able to differentiate between a drizzle and all the other types of rain drops. While rain refers to large water droplets that are 0.02 inches or more in diameter, a drizzle refers to very fine water droplets. Think of drizzle as like a fog that falls to the ground. Then there’s sprinkle, which has water droplets that are larger than in a drizzle. Sprinkles don’t last long, similar to showers, but they’re not the same. Showers typically refer to precipitation of large water droplets that start and stop suddenly in isolated, small areas.
Does It Really Rain All the Time in Seattle?
Then again, rain and its different types but not be your no. 1 problem here. “[T]he ‘dark clouds’ and ‘overcast sky’ ones are the usual for most of the year, with temperatures rarely above 45 degrees. The ‘dark clouds’ days are particularly oppressive, and there are a lot of them, especially during the Fall and Winter.”