Seattle - When to Go?
 

When is the best time to visit Seattle? We are thinking of over Memorial Day or Labor Day, 2007. Is one better than the other?

Hi, I live here, and I was just remarking to a visitor the other day that Seattle weather is such that it is almost never truly uncomfortable to be, say, a person standing outside at a busstop. Other, more inland cities have either considerable heat or bitter cold. When it rains there it so often comes down in torrential downpours too. When it rains here it usually comes at a steady, much slower rate and lasts for seasons or decades.

Labor Day offers the Bumbershoot music festival on the "Seattle Center" grounds, if that is of particular interest.

I can't think of a great reason why one of the two options would be better than the other aside from Memorial Day being not quite so crowded given that many schools are still in session through early or mid-June.

You could flip a coin to settle it and not be too wrong.

Our best weather is in July and August.

I think (historically) Memorial Day weekend has a better change of good weather than Labor Day does... What do you think Bumbershoot means (the music festival that takes place on Labor Day)?

chance (not change)

and it means umbrella :-)

You have a 50/50 chance of rain or sun on the days you specify. Come in early August or late July.

Never thought I would hear myself say this, but I am so glad that the rainy season has finally started. No more dry days and we settle in to a different mode of life, like we 'nest' by our fires, forget the outside and focus on what's inside, like each other, the wonderful home we have, etc., books to read, letters to write. Thank God for the rainy seaon (it is pouring right now).

Do you only want to see the city, or did you want to visit other areas like that national parks? If the latter, choose labor day. There will still be lots of snow and closed roads in Olympic and Rainier on Memorial Day. Labor Day probably has better weather in general, but both weekends can be iffy (not cold, but often slightly cool and damp).