Posted on 01/10/2006 9:35:45 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SEATTLE – After 22 consecutive days of measurable rain, Seattle is closing in on a record so dismal even forecasters in this city famous for its gray skies are complaining.
With more wet weather predicted over the next several days, Seattle may soon break a record set in 1953. The city saw 33 consecutive days of measurable precipitation then – the most since the National Weather Service office there started tracking rainfall in 1931.
"Usually we have a few days of rain and one or two days of cloudy and dreary days and then it rains again and that's the way it goes," weather service meteorologist Johnny Burg said Monday. "We're not getting our dry days in between – just having one system follow another."
A trace of rain fell Dec. 18, but the real wet weather started the following day.
Since October, when the weather service's "weather year" began, Seattle has had nearly 18 inches of rain – about 2 inches above normal and well above this time last year, when the city had received 11 inches of rain.
Mudslides blocked railroad tracks north of Seattle for most of the weekend as well as a highway near Port Orchard on the Kitsap Peninsula. State Route 166 was closed indefinitely in both directions Sunday because of damage from a mudslide.
It was miserable in the mountains Monday, too. Forecasters said heavy snow falling amid gusty winds in the Cascades would continue through Tuesday, with about a foot falling every 12 hours.
The Olympic Mountains also were getting slammed, with 6 to 11 inches predicted every 12 hours through Tuesday afternoon.
Seattle natives often joke that it's easy to spot the tourists and transplants when it's raining because they're the ones using umbrellas.
Not Nora Bailey, who moved to Seattle from northeastern France about 10 years ago. Bailey said the rain doesn't bother her as much as the unyielding grayness.
"It's been a little depressing, but you know, what are you going to do?" the 32-year-old said as she ate at a Pike Place Market bakery.
Richard Comer, 43, who moved to Seattle from the Fresno, Calif., area four years ago, went without a raincoat Monday. Cleopatra, the pit bull-lab that kept him company, wore a yellow slicker.
"I'm getting pretty used to it, so I don't really notice it that much anymore, Comer said.
Though Seattle is famous for its rain, the city's average annual rainfall from 1970 to 2000 was 37.07 inches, compared to 49.71 inches for New York City.
Who's got the picture of Karl Rove and his weather machine?
are you still in the city of hell?
Depression set in yet?
New York misses you.
Well, it shouldn't effect the Redskin's offense, since the Redskins don't appear to HAVE one of those.....
LOL.. could be. The Pacific Northwest , at least that area, is highly populated with liberals.
How gloomy and depressing.
I hear ya, they had nothing, or much of nothing. Great defense, but ya need a little on the offense.
Bush's fault, obviously.
We sure could use some of that in Texas and Oklahoma.
On behalf of the state of Texas, stop hogging the rain!!!
It rains in a lot and in pretty good stretches in Hawaii, that I could handle,, but dark and cool and wet is a bit much after awhile. makes for great fauna&forest and vegetation tho, either way. ;-)
They say if the sun shines in Seattle in January, there are UFO reports of an mysterious glowing disc in the sky.
No wonder they drink so much bad coffee and have a high suicide rate in Seattle. Heck, they should add Prozac to the water supply there.
Saw the weather this morning - looks a whiff of moisture swung over part of the states affected most, hope things are on the upswing soon.
It's Bushes fault. /sarc off. Having grown up out that way, about the only good thing there is to say about endless rain is that you don't have to shovel it.
"...Seattle closing in on record for consecutive days of rain (22 going for 33. Go Seahawks!)..."
Looks like it's time to start gathering some animals and to build a big boat.
Hawaii rain, I could handle that too :)
but dark and cool and wet
No thanks. I'd rather shovel a foot of snow.
I'd rather shovel a foot of snow.
...
Been there, done that. grew up in Minnesota.
I'd rather ride that shovel down a snow-covered hillside, and have.. ;-)
Much as I love it here, it really can be.
Normally, you'd be right in thinking this is Bush's fault but Pat Robertson said it won't stop raining in Washington because Christine Gregoire cheated in the election.
Washington Democrats brought this torment (and others) on the state!
Just emailed this story to The Girlfriend, whose sister moved to Seattle a couple of months ago. The Sister's husband told his 7, 3, and 2 year old kids that Seattle was "always sunny, no problems, and never had any crime."
Funny part is, The Sister believed it too!!!
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