EASTER WEATHER

As most Americans know, Seattle has a reputation for grey, drizzly weather. And that reputation is well merited. There are areas of the U.S. that are worse, though. I know of a woman who’s family – when she was young -- had stayed in Juneau, Alaska for almost a year and a half.

The mother of the family told the father that they needed to move back to the lower 48 or there was going to be a divorce. This was because the mother had marked the days on the calendar when she had actually seen the sun, and it amounted to maybe three or four days total – out of the entire year.

Now maybe that was just a bad year in SE Alaska. And Seattle is nowhere near that bad. But Spring time generally (like Fall) is rainy time here in the western half of the Pacific Northwest. In fact, until recently, Spring was my least favorite season because of the weather. Other people would say that Spring was their favorite season and I would think they were nuts, because of all of the rain.

Over the past few years, I have grown to appreciate Spring more. I live near a biking trail that goes through several areas that are nothing but nature – nothing but trees, ponds, ferns, bushes, ravines with creeks, etc. When you see nature change from day to day, you learn to enjoy it despite the dreary weather. And you can appreciate the changes that come with every season -- Spring included.

This morning I took a bike ride, and noticed that the trees are closer and closer to being fully leafed. The Oregon big-leaf maple trees have some of their leaves out, and because the leaves are fresh, they are a bright shade of light green. By the time summer comes, the leaves will be dark green, and very large – some of them much larger than your hand.

There also was a sun break as I was riding back home on the Trail. Apparently the phrase “sun break” is peculiar to Seattleites, because it is used in our local weather reports, but the phrase is not commonly used in other parts of the U.S. It means the sky is grey – as per usual – but there has been a break in the grey and the sun actually shines through the break in the clouds for a few moments.

At times it can look spectacular. At other times it just feels nice to see the sun – to know that it really is, after all, up there somewhere.

Easter time is a peculiar time for Seattle weather. Most times it is wet, around 50-65F (10-15C), and the sky is grey -- with sun breaks. But every once in a while we will get an Easter where the sun breaks through the clouds for an entire afternoon. Later in the year, of course, it can be beautiful here -- with perfect weather: 80F (25C) or so every day, with bright sun, lower humidity than other parts of the U.S., and often gentle breezes. And August and September can give us spectacular weather.

I have no idea what sort of weather is in store for us this Easter. I don’t follow the weather reports much. Usually, we're going to get mostly grey skies with a chance of sun during this time of year, anyway. This Easter I'll probably be out on my bike, looking at the changes. I expect the leaves will all be out on the hillsides by then -- re-newed life, in nature.