We Seattleites are used to hearing jokes about our rainy weather:

“What do you call two straight days of rain in Seattle?” Answer: “A weekend.”

“When’s the rainy season in Seattle? Answer: “August through April and May through July.”

“What does daylight saving time mean in Seattle?” Answer: “An extra hour of rain.”

“When does summer officially begin?” Answer: “In Seattle, after July 4th.”

Wait – that last one’s no joke. But moving on . . . The truth is, Seattle summers mostly rock! Temperatures are mild for the most part. Sunny days stretch into fiery sunsets of goldenrod yellows and peach-orange before deepening into vibrant violet reds. Combined with the magnificent Olympic Mountains, emerald green forests and water, water everywhere,  the Pacific Northwest is the place to hang out in the summer.

Here’s another view of the spectacular summer sunset Seattleites experienced earlier this week:

What’s the reason behind this stunning Seattle summer phenomenon? Just ask University of Washington Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and weather expert, Cliff Mass, who boils it down to several factors: right season, geometry, virga (check out his blog for further explanation) and wildfire smoke. As Mass calls it: “This sunset was liking winning the Trifecta at a horse race.”

Indeed.

Wander on!

Nancy

What’s your favorite summer sunset memory, wanderboomers? Please share with us here.