Seattle
Seattle
BeenUnited States of AmericaCsb
📷 Spicypepper999· CC0The mountain is out | The mountain is out
About
Seattle is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is the 18th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 780,995 in 2024, while the Seattle metropolitan area at over 4.15 million residents is the 15th-most populous metropolitan area in the nation. The city is the county seat of King County, the most populous county in Washington. Seattle's growth rate of 21.1% between 2010 and 2020 made it one of the country's fastest-growing large cities.
Wikipedia →Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Seattle, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.
Why visit
Pike Place Market; with its flying fish, original Starbucks, and produce stands; is the widely recognized stop. The Space Needle and adjacent Chihuly Garden and Glass anchor Seattle Center. The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) explores Nirvana, Hendrix, and sci-fi. Pioneer Square preserves Victorian-era buildings; the Underground Tour visits the buried original streets. Ferry trips to Bainbridge Island offer the postcard skyline view. Coffee culture is taken with religious seriousness. Day-trip to Mount Rainier or Olympic National Parks for genuinely breathtaking wilderness within two hours.
When to avoid
Seattle's reputation for rain is partly a deflection trick to keep tourists away; it does drizzle, but the bigger issue is grey overcast for months. Don't underestimate winter darkness (sunset 4:20pm in December). Downtown homelessness and street issues have grown; some areas feel rough. Traffic on I-5 and the 520 bridge is brutal in commute hours. Avoid using a car downtown; transit, walking, and rideshares work better. Salmon season pricing in restaurants surprises some. Tipping culture is heavier than European visitors expect.
Summer (July to September)
Summer is mild, dry, and gloriously sunny; highs around 22 to 26°C, cool 13°C nights, with reliable sunshine after July 4 and famous long evenings (sunset 9pm in late June). This is when Seattle reveals what locals know: it's one of the best-weather cities in America between July and September. The Seattle International Film Festival, Bumbershoot, and outdoor concerts at Marymoor animate the season. Pack a light layer for cool mornings and evenings, sunglasses for the sharp Pacific Northwest light, and walking shoes for the steep hills.
Wet/Grey Winter (November to April)
December through February are the cooler or wetter period in Seattle. The cooler season is wetter and quieter, with stronger conditions for museums and cafes. In Seattle, comfort depends less on temperature alone than on rain, wind, snow, daylight, and whether services are reduced. For Seattle, the season often favors interiors and shorter local routes: museums, churches, galleries, theaters, bookshops, cafes, and nearby streets. A cold or wet day in Seattle works best with shorter walks, confirmed hours, and a clear way back to lodging.
The next week in Seattle
7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).
Today
Rain
11° / 8°
4.4 mm
UV Moderate
Sat
Snow
12° / 6°
12.2 mm
UV High
Sun
Overcast
16° / 6°
UV Moderate
Mon
Drizzle
19° / 8°
1.2 mm
UV Moderate
Tue
Drizzle
19° / 10°
4.6 mm
UV Moderate
Wed
Overcast
22° / 10°
UV High
In May 16
JFMAMJJASOND
Air quality
No monitoring station within 25 km.
Weather
32° / 0°
Typical high / low
2 mm rainfall this month
Daylight
15.1h
05:32 – 20:37local
Year-round climate
Monthly highs, lows, and rainfall (long-term averages, NASA POWER).
Airports near Seattle
6 commercial airports within 100 km. Closest is King County International Airport - Boeing Field (BFI) at 9 km.
Getting around Seattle
Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.
Local transit operators
The Victoria ClipperAmtrakWSFCTMicrosoft ShuttlesSeattle Children's Hospital ShuttleSound TransitAmazon SLU ShuttleMetro TransitCity of SeattleSound TransitFlixbusDungeness LineSolid GroundAmtrak Chartered VehicleSound TransitB Metro
Sister cities
Sources
This page blends public reference data, climate/elevation services, and personal notes. Travel requirements can change, so visa and entry details should be checked again before booking.
- Wikipedia →
Summary, canonical article, and some image fallbacks.
- Wikidata →
Population, area, image, coordinates, and linked identifiers where available.
- NASA POWER →
Monthly temperature and rainfall climatology.
- Open-Meteo historical weather →
1991-2020 temperature and precipitation cross-check for compact climate fields.
- Open-Elevation →
Coordinate-based elevation backfill.
- tz database →
Coordinate-based IANA timezone lookup.
- City flag source →
Public domain, David Strong..
- Site credits →
Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.