Seattle · Month comparison
September vs July
July ranks #1 overall vs September at #5. The best month — 18mm rain, 25°C, 10 hours of sun, and the Bite of Seattle in full swing.
September
#5 of 12 months
Best match
The best-value month — summer weather lingers, crowds ease, and the city exhales.
- ↑Bumbershoot (Labor Day weekend): one of America's most eclectic music and arts festivals closes the summer
- ↑Prices drop 20–30% from August peak while temperatures still hit 21°C and rain stays low at 40mm
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 | September | July |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 8 | 10 |
| Value score | 5 | 4 |
| Crowd score | 5 | 4 |
| Events score | 7 | 8 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 21°C | 25°C |
| Monthly rain | 70mm | 18mm |
| Daily sunshine | 7hrs | 10hrs |
September trade-offs
- ↓Rain returns gradually through September — more unpredictable than July/August, with occasional wet spells
- ↓Bumbershoot weekend (early September) competes with hotel availability and prices briefly spike
- ↓Mt Rainier high trails begin closing in late September as first snow falls at elevation
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 →