Seattle sits in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, backed by the Cascade Range and sheltered to the west by the Olympic Mountains, at approximately 47.61°N, 122.33°W. It has a cool-summer oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb, bordering a dry-summer Csb) — mild, cloudy and famously rainy — with dry, pleasant summers and cool, grey, wet winters.

Summer, from June to September, is mild, sunny and surprisingly dry, with July and August the warmest and driest months — average highs around 24–25°C and cool, comfortable nights. As a summer high-pressure ridge settles in, rain becomes scarce and the skies clear, revealing the surrounding mountains; this is comfortably the finest time of year, though occasional heat waves — like the extreme one of June 2021 — can briefly push temperatures much higher.

Winter, from November to March, is mild but cool, grey, damp and wet, with December and January the coolest — average highs around 8–49°C and lows near 3–4°C. Hard frost is uncommon and snow relatively rare in the city, usually melting quickly, though occasional cold outbreaks can bring it. The season's defining feature is not cold but the persistent cloud and frequent light rain that keep the city dim for months.

Seattle receives around 950–990 mm of rain a year — less in total than New York or Atlanta — but its reputation for rain comes from how it falls: on a very large number of days, mostly as light drizzle and persistent cloud from October to May, rather than in heavy downpours. Summer is markedly dry. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Seattle's fame for rain owes more to grey skies and frequent drizzle than to heavy totals: it is one of the cloudiest major cities in the United States, with long, dim, damp stretches through the cool season. Sheltered by the Olympic Mountains, it actually sits in a partial rain shadow, and its reliably dry, sunny, mountain-framed summers are a striking contrast to the soggy winter reputation.

To follow any single measurement in Seattle more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.