Happy New Year!

 As 2022 comes to a close, I'm taking the week off :) May you have a warm and prosperous New Year!

Holidays at the Coast

It is hard to believe sometimes, but yet another Holiday seasons has arrived and with it a little snowfall along the coast. Is was fleeting to say the least but it did happen. Meanwhile the Holiday season brings forth opportunities for getaway trips to watch the storms or perhaps a mild Christmas along the seashore. I wrote this article a few years back and it still resonates today:

Yes December has arrived and once again the beach is in prep for holiday fun with a salty twist. Check out https://funbeach.com for events on the Long Beach Peninsula for the holidays and more in 2019.

They like to do fireworks on the beach on New Years Eve, that should fun. Many people like to watch the storms roll in during the wet and wild December. Although the weather can be rough and rowdy, the temperature tends to be 5° to 10° warmer at the beach than it is inland. I'd still bring a coat ;)

I wrote this general weather piece a while back check it out:

One of the stark contrasts with the weather and climate on the Washington coast as compared to inland areas like Portland-Vancouver is the nearly flat chart of average temperatures across the whole year. Yes if you like a fairly predictable temperature over the course of a whole year, it is hard to beat the beach. Of course it is wetter and windier at the beach but the temperatures are nearly static. Look at that chart!

In Long Beach, WA, there is only 16° of difference between the average high in July and the average high in January! Contrast that against Vancouver, WA where the difference is 36°. Or how about a place like Spokane, WA where the difference is an astonishing, 50°. You may find it interesting that Long Beach, WA has the same difference in average daily high as San Diego, CA! Yes San Diegans enjoy a tight 16° spread between summer and winter as well. Yes, I know the spread is the same but So-Cal is much warmer.

To be fair the coast tends to favor a cooler climate, but the moderating effects of the mighty Pacific Ocean keep the extremes minimized and the averages very predictable and pleasant all year long. Heat waves in the summer are very rare and when they do happen they are quite short lived. Deep freezes in the winter are equally rare and again very short lived.

So if you want to live in a place that doesn't really have a major shift in seasons then the coast could be the ticket. It is really a two season affair on the Washington Coast, a short 4 months of mild summer weather and long but very mild 8 months of winter.

The beach is affordable and fun all year round, check it out!