Seattle · Month comparison
November vs July
July ranks #1 overall vs November at #10. The best month — 18mm rain, 25°C, 10 hours of sun, and the Bite of Seattle in full swing.
November
#10 of 12 months
Worth considering
Seattle at its rainiest — 150mm, 2.5 sunshine hours, and the grey months properly begin.
- ↑Hotel rates approaching winter lows — downtown Seattle genuinely affordable again
- ↑Pike Place Market and Seattle Center at their least crowded; Space Needle observation deck queue minimal
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
| Factor | November | July |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 3 | 10 |
| Value score | 7 | 4 |
| Crowd score | 8 | 4 |
| Events score | 5 | 8 |
| Atmosphere | 6 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 10°C | 25°C |
| Monthly rain | 150mm | 18mm |
| Daily sunshine | 4.8hrs | 10hrs |
November trade-offs
- ↓150mm rain — the heaviest month of the year; expect rain on most days and plan accordingly
- ↓Only 2.5 sunshine hours: the famous Seattle grey is not an exaggeration, it's a daily reality
- ↓Thanksgiving week brings domestic travel surge, briefly pushing prices and airport crowds up
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
Scores compare months within Seattle. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →