A dew questions for those in the Seattle area.

[e30_luv_]

I am currently enrolled in Army ROTC at my university, and will be commissioning as a Second Lieutenant next May. I have to select installations and rank them for my first duty station.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) ranks high on my personal list and am highly considering it. I have been to JBLM last year for a month long training event, and immediately in love with the area. The luscious green forests, beautiful weather, and even the sparse rain. (Apparently it was an atypical summer for you PNW'ers.) I did not get the chance to experience the other eleven months.

I am from Philadelphia and have lived here my entire life. I am used to four seasons, humid summers, snowy winters, and beautifully mild springs/autumns.

So my questions are basically weather related:

Does Seattle experience seasonal weather such as Philadelphia?

Everyone from the East coast b*tches and moans about the rain, is it really that bad?

How about outdoor activities? I am a big runner, love mountain climbing (bouldering), and am looking to get into mountain bike riding & snow boarding.

Many thanks in advance.

[Keith M]

More like three seasons, winter is just rainy with an occasional snow day.
Rainfall is around 40" a year spread out over 9 months with November and December the wettest months. July through September is usually very nice. Outdoor activities are numerous with the cascades an hour east and Olympic National Park two hours west.

[Wschnitz]

It sometimes gets fucking hot, like it was 98* a couple days ago, but its never humid or like death heat.

[ncsubowen]

Spent a lot of time there and grew up on the east coast - people on the east coast hear 'rain' and think hard rain or the thunderstorms that come through all summer long. It rarely rains like that in Seattle. Rain is really mist most of the time, not even heavy enough for an umbrella. Think damp more than soaked.

Summers on the other hand are awesome. 98 is abnormal (and coming from the east coast you'll probably laugh when people bitch about it). Only thing I can say is that a lot of older places were built without A/C or with window units, be careful when renting that you get a place with decent HVAC because it's not as standard as you're probably used to.

Also, it gets crowded in places and the roads are shit all over. But that's probably not too different from Philly.

[Matt-B]

Everyone from the East coast b*tches and moans about the rain, is it really that bad?

Many thanks in advance.

People here bitch about the cold and rain in winter/fall, and bitch about heat in the summer. So youll be right at home. I grew up on east coast (VA) so im use to the hummidity, thunderstorms, etc that you have now

The pnw is a great area, im just not into huge metro areas, but theres tons to do in, and out of the city

[e30_luv_]

Thanks for the responses so far!

It seems that weather wise it's more milder than here on the East coast, which is awesome.

I thought of a few more questions for those of you that are firearms owners. I'll do my own research, but first hand is always a plus.

What are the firearm laws in Washington vs. Seattle? Same, similar?

Are there magazine restrictions?

How about conceal carry? Is it allowed?

Philadelphia is much more strict, obviously as a large metropolis, to some of the surrounding counties, where I'm currently living.

[cramer]

WA State law trumps all local laws (no matter how much the Seattle mayor whines about it). No restrictions other than State ones.

-Concealed carry permit is "shall issue" http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/firearms/faconceal.html
-Open carry is legal
-No Magazine size restrictions

[mulletman]

In the summer, there's absolutely no better climate. Anywhere. Winter sucks. Spring is just a continuation of winter with slightly higher temperatures. Fall can be wet, but is pretty awesome, actually.

[Dylanhat]

The western washington has a mild climate. Not too hot or cold. Nothing extreme.

[ck_taft325is]

If you enjoy really high property tax, car tax, living expenses, etc... WA is the place for you.

Weather wise? I wish it snowed more. 2" and everyone loses their damn minds.

[storm-e]

I grew up in the Lehigh Valley.
Went to Penn State for college.
Moved to Olympia/Lacey nearly 1 year ago for a boy in the army.
10 months ago I bought a lovely clean '87 325is.
...It didn't work out with the boy, but I decided to stay in the area for awhile.

The weather is so mild. You hardly notice seasons change compared to Pennsylvania. The perpetual drizzle isn't so much of a problem as is the lack of sun. During the winter you get 8 hours of daylight. None of which you see the sun, because it's raining or you're at work. SAD is real. No one told me to take vitamin D tablets or get a happy lamp, so I was miserable and exhausted for 3 long dark months.

The traffic here is hell. I5 is a clusterfuck always. You never know how long driving 10 miles will take you. And your windshield will be full of rock chips... I freaked out the first time I got one cause it almost never happens in PA... I already have 3.

Everything surrounding JBLM is cookie cutter suburban hell.

Even with all of that, I decided to stay. There is so much to see and do outdoors. Washington's landscape is truly awesome. There's a great art community here which I love. People are friendly and diverse. Seattle and Portland are close and great cities. And there are e30s everywhere!

Hope this helps.

[cg138]

What are the firearm laws in Washington vs. Seattle? Same, similar?

State preemption. Gun laws are at the state level and local governments cannot enact laws that are stricter than what state law has prescribed. Therefore, Seattle has the same gun rules as in a farm town in Eastern Washington, no matter how much Seattle politicians wish that wasn't the case.

Of course, same Federal rules apply. You can't bring a firearm into Federal government buildings.

Are there magazine restrictions?

No.

How about conceal carry? Is it allowed?

Yes. Washington is a shall issue state, and as long as you meet the criteria for holding a concealed carry permit, then the country sheriff must issue you a permit. You typically submit the application at the local sheriff's office.

State laws say, however, people cannot concealed carry in 21+ only establishments (and a few specially carved out areas), private property owners have the right to post a notice and ban firearms from their premise (non-compliance is a misdemeanor trespass) and the law says you cannot be intoxicated while concealed carrying, though intoxication is not defined.

But if you carry, carry smart. Don't mix alcohol and guns.

Open carry is legal without a license needed, though you'll probably get odd looks and some people in Seattle would probably call the police on you.

[Spec E30]

Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) ranks high on my personal list and am highly considering it. I have been to JBLM last year for a month long training event, and immediately in love with the area. The luscious green forests, beautiful weather, and even the sparse rain. (Apparently it was an atypical summer for you PNW'ers.) I did not get the chance to experience the other eleven months.

I am from Philadelphia and have lived here my entire life. I am used to four seasons, humid summers, snowy winters, and beautifully mild springs/autumns.

So my questions are basically weather related:

Does Seattle experience seasonal weather such as Philadelphia?

Everyone from the East coast b*tches and moans about the rain, is it really that bad?

How about outdoor activities? I am a big runner, love mountain climbing (bouldering), and am looking to get into mountain bike riding & snow boarding.

Many thanks in advance.

I grew up in the Lehigh Valley.
Went to Penn State for college.

Even with all of that, I decided to stay. There is so much to see and do outdoors. Washington's landscape is truly awesome. There's a great art community here which I love. People are friendly and diverse. Seattle and Portland are close and great cities. And there are e30s everywhere!

Fellow PA'er here. Grew up in York County then moved to the central part of the state. I spent the last 3 years living in State College and working for Penn State. My wife and I just moved out to the Seattle Area on July 3rd. (Well technically we're on the Kitsap peninsula living in Port Orchard.) I spent a good chunk of last year in the PNW and just like you, fell in love with it. When I had an opportunity to transfer out here, I jumped on it.

Last year, I experienced the PNW weather from January through August. The winter out here is much more mild than back East. Yes it rains more often and is cloudier, but it doesn't get bitter cold either. And the rain isn't like east coat rain, it's more of a mist. Winter also ended earlier here, with nice days starting to appear in February. I did notice that late spring (the end of may and june) was wetter and cooler (60's) than the weather I was used to back East. Everyone out here jokes that summer in the PNW doesn't start until July 5. It proved true this year as the 4th of July was cool and rainy, but the following week, summer kicked in and the weather was just about perfect: 70-85 with no humidity and no rain is normal. We hit in the 90's last week, but humidity was around 40% and it cooled off to the 50's at night so it wasn't a big deal. (East coast is 90 with 90% humidity and 80 at night - miserable without AC) I'm told summer lasts until about September and then we start into the rainy season. Seattle gets 36in of precipitation per year http://average-rainfall.findthebest....tle-Washington, Philly gets 41in http://average-rainfall.findthebest....a-Pennsylvania The difference is that Philly's rainfall is about the same every month, whereas Seattle's summer is super dry but makes up for the lack of rain in the winter months. I prefer the PNW with it's nice, dry weather in the summer when the days are longer (Days are about 1hr longer in the summer and 1hr shorter in the winter than the east coast due to high latitude). I even (so far) like the rain out here- it is what gives the PNW it's characteristic lush environment. Damp, misty mornings in the pine forests have a unique smell all their own.

I'll have to take storm-e's advise and take vitamin D in the winter. and I agree- the landscape out here is unbelievable. It's the only state that you can visit an old growth forest, the mountains, a rainforest and the beach on the same day.

Just do it :p Good Luck!

If you're interested, some photos from my travels in the PNW can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scotte...7631535176010/