July 5 - Start of Summer?

Summer starts July 5th. That's what we heard when we arrived in this area last year. That's what we've been hearing this year. It's as though there's a big switch somewhere that gets flipped on July 5th. People talk about it - a lot. On July 5th supposedly the rain stops, the sun shines, and the temperature gets up to 70 and above.

It's the 5th of July - look at the 10 day forecast. These are the highest temperatures so far this year. Summer is here!

Here's an interesting chart that shows temperature and rainfall June through August  - look what happens right around July 5th - temperatures start climbing and rainfall declines.

Average temperature (red) and the number of times it has rained on various dates (blue) 

at SeaTac International Airport over the previous 65 years.

The meteorologist who did this chart also addressed the tale that it "always" rains on the 4th of July in Seattle. We've been here two 4ths and both have had glorious weather. Here's what he said about that story. 

"Now, as to whether it always rains on the 4th: Northwesterners are exaggerating a little on that one. It only rains on about 1 out of every 4 of our July 4th celebrations. .... Since it has rained only 17 times out of the last 65 4ths of July in Seattle, the climatological chance of rain on July 4th 26%. The last time it rained on the 4th of July in Seattle was 2010...."      Read more here.

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Here's a weatherman talking about sunshine, 70+ degree temperatures, AND no rain on the 4th of July: 

"I don’t know what it is about the 4th of July but it does seem to be a turning point for those of us in the northwest.  Typically of course we have to wait until July 5th or 6th for the sun to really get rolling. .. Today was only the ninth time since 1949 that we have had sunshine, 70 degrees and no rain on the 4th of July." [bold added by jht] komonews.com

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Another comment about weather - The evening of July 3rd Joe was settling down to watch a movie. He was wearing several layers of long sleeve tops and was still chilly. In the picture you can see the thermostat in the background. He had the cover down ready to turn on the heat when he opted for the coat. It just didn't seem right to turn on the furnace on July 3rd. Our sympathy goes out to our family and friends who are sweltering in the heat and humidity of the MidWest and the East Coast. 

source - 10 day forecast