Seattle · Month comparison

January vs July

July ranks #1 overall vs January at #12. The best month — 18mm rain, 25°C, 10 hours of sun, and the Bite of Seattle in full swing.

Seattle January — Space Needle in winter snow at night, Seattle skyline illuminated

January

#12 of 12 months

Worth considering

Grey and wet — 130mm of rain, but Pike Place Market is uncrowded and hotels are cheap.

  • ↑Pike Place Market at its most local: fishing, produce, and coffee without summer tour groups blocking every stall
  • ↑Seattle Art Museum and Chihuly Garden accessible without queues at the year's lowest prices
Seattle July — Seattle skyline with Space Needle on a bright clear summer day from Kerry Park

July

#1 of 12 months

Best match

The best month — 18mm rain, 25°C, 10 hours of sun, and the Bite of Seattle in full swing.

  • ↑Only 18mm rain: the driest month in the Pacific Northwest by far — nearly guaranteed blue-sky days
  • ↑Bite of Seattle food festival (mid-July): 60+ restaurants serving the city's full culinary range in Seattle Center
FactorJanuaryJuly
Weather score
3
10
Value score
7
4
Crowd score
8
4
Events score
4
8
Atmosphere
6
9
Avg high temp8°C25°C
Monthly rain222mm18mm
Daily sunshine3.9hrs10hrs

January trade-offs

  • ↓Only 2 sunshine hours daily — overcast almost continuously; Puget Sound views grey and muted
  • ↓130mm rain across the month: waterproofs are non-negotiable, not optional
  • ↓No outdoor rooftop culture, no ferry deck lounging — the city turns inward

July trade-offs

  • ↓Hotel prices at annual peak — downtown Seattle is expensive in July with no apology
  • ↓Pike Place Market becomes a genuine struggle on summer weekends; arrive before 9am or after 4pm
  • ↓Occasional smoke from Cascade wildfires can affect air quality and Mt Rainier visibility in late July
See all 12 months for Seattle →January in detail →July in detail →
Scores compare months within Seattle. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →