West - Best time to vacation in Seattle with no rain

We'd like to go during the warmest, driest time any dates July, June or August.

Mid-late summer in Seattle gets very little rain - end of July through end of September is actually pretty dry there if you look at the climate data.

July is best because the evenings are longest. Frankly it can rain copiously here any time of year -- they hold Seafair Weekend in early August on the dates statistically most likely to be warm and dry, and it still gets washed out mightily two years out of five. You just have to place your bet and come.

I've had good luck planning outdoor events the 2nd weekend in August (7 years, no rainouts)

I've been to to the Seattle/Portland area a lot in the past 30 years.
I lived in Bellevue for a short stint in the 90's.
It can rain anytime. It's a gamble.


Strangely enough, every time (and I mean EVERY TIME) I have been there for a few days or even a week on business, it's NEVER rained. I mean NEVER.
Portland? Rained a few times. Seattle? Never.

I should play the lottery! :D

We'd like to go during the warmest, driest time any dates July, June or August.Well who wouldn't ? ;)

As others have posted there are no 'magic' dates, your chances of sunburn or a drenching are about equal. If there's an event you want to attend go for it, otherwise my personal (undocumented) impression is that September tends to be the best month.

Well who wouldn't ? ;)

As others have posted there are no 'magic' dates, your chances of sunburn or a drenching are about equal. If there's an event you want to attend go for it, otherwise my personal (undocumented) impression is that September tends to be the best month.

You just made my day! We will be in Seattle in September for a few days.......:D

Anytime between late June and late August you should be fine. Even if it does rain, it won't be like the spring/winter/fall in which it drizzles for most of the day. I personally think Sept is a gamble - I have been rained out of Labor Day activities more than once (I used to live in the area). It is absolutely gorgeous when the sun shines!

For more suggestions, please follow as the thread moves to the Travel->West forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I've been to to the Seattle/Portland area a lot in the past 30 years.
I lived in Bellevue for a short stint in the 90's.
It can rain anytime. It's a gamble.


Strangely enough, every time (and I mean EVERY TIME) I have been there for a few days or even a week on business, it's NEVER rained. I mean NEVER.
Portland? Rained a few times. Seattle? Never.

I should play the lottery! :D

The OP should go whenever you plan to go there next. :D

Anytime between late June and late August you should be fine. Even if it does rain, it won't be like the spring/winter/fall in which it drizzles for most of the day. I personally think Sept is a gamble - I have been rained out of Labor Day activities more than once (I used to live in the area). It is absolutely gorgeous when the sun shines!I hear ya; but mention any other date and I can probably dredge up an anecdote about getting rained out then too. Anyway, better than those occasional 100° days.

Seriously OP, you just have to chance it and, as posted, it's not like the winter rain when it only rains twice - 40 days both times.

June can actually be pretty rainy, and cold for summer standards (i.e. 50-60F). The real summer in Seattle usually starts in July.

June can actually be pretty rainy, and cold for summer standards (i.e. 50-60F). The real summer in Seattle usually starts in July.

There's a A Prairie Home Companion live broadcast show in Kirkland (or wherever Chateau Ste Michelle is) on 11 June. Way too risky given this La Niña year.

There's a A Prairie Home Companion live broadcast show in Kirkland (or wherever Chateau Ste Michelle is) on 11 June. Way too risky given this La Niña year.

Chateau Ste Michelle is in Woodinville. Here's a link to tickets for the event: http://michellewoodinville.com/Tickets-Active.php?eventID=1595173&venueID=355

Go to weather.com. Input your city, click on "month" on the top of the page and "averages" at the bottom of the page that comes up. It'll give the average temps, and amount of rainfall, for each month. Those are, of course, just averages.

If you said what you plan to do, and exactly where you plan to go, it could help. The dates when, statistically, you get the least rain may not be the best for your particular plans. For example, you might get so many other tourists, or the air fares are so high, that it balances out. If you really don't want any rain, Seattle doesn't seem like the place to go. We were there just after Fourth of July last year and had no rain. This year may be different. We went there after staying in Mt. Rainier National Park, where there was still lots of snow, and fog, at higher elevations, but had virtually no rain.

I believe that, statistically, Portland gets less rain than Seattle. Maybe go there instead.

I've had good luck on September visits, less so on ones in May.

Also, have you seen this web comic? http://theoatmeal.com/blog/seattle_weather :D

June can actually be pretty rainy, and cold for summer standards (i.e. 50-60F). The real summer in Seattle usually starts in July.

I'm a native and still live in SEA....
When we get inquires about coming to visit us our typical times we have had the best success for drier weather is late July and early September.
The caveat is that there are no absolute guarantees about rain here...ever.

It's been a rotten spring -- coldest April on record. But the sun is out today. :)

WE were there during an extended Easter weekend and had great weather which surprised the people we were visiting.

I'd agree with late July-August. June-early July is more of a crapshoot if you want to avoid our liquid sunshine. :)

Seems like it gets sunny sometime after the 4th of July every year. I would go for August.

It was rainy again today. This has been a tough spring for rain. it seems that is basically raining all the time. However if I had to pick a month to visit downtown Seattle the 1st or 2nd week of August would be my pick. That being said the surrounding areas can all have significantly different episodes of weather. A couple weeks ago Bellingham had snow while it was sunny downtown.

The first weekend in August is also Seafair.. so hotels will be a bit more $$ and there are lots of people in town. www.seafair.com
Hydroplane races, ships to tour, etc.

BTW - there are really FEW things you CANNOT do in Seattle due to the rain.