Everyone knows that the Pacific Northwest gets more that its fair share of rain. On average, Seattle receives a whopping 34 inches of annual precipitation, most of which falls between the months of October and May. That's nothing compared to cities in the American South that average double that amount - about 60 inches of annual rain. But we do have high percentage of protracted cloudy and overcast days, that give the impression of our perpetual rain.
But Spring precipitation across the entire country is elevated this year, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. We're truly living up to our reputation as the rainiest corner in the United States. Last weekend Seattle broke TWO rainfall records in less than 24 hours. There was so much rain that we received our average monthly rainfall in just one day!
With all this record rain in the lowlands and late season snow in the mountains, we’re predicting that the wild flowers will be big and bountiful come summertime. Each year, while on our Scenic Boy Adventures, we see the most beautiful, delicate, and unique flowers along the trails. In some places acres of purple flowers carpet the entire mountainside. In others, rare buds lay hidden deep in the wilderness where only the luckiest of hikers get to admire them.
Now the sun is shining and it is feeling like normal Spring weather, and this has inspired us to create a photo album of our best wildflower shots. We’re hoping that this nice weather will last through the weekend, because we’re planning on a backpacking trip to the Ozette Triangle. The coastal flowers should be in full bloom and we can't wait to share them with you.
lovely flowers, and other natural beauties!
Posted by: irisgirl | May 20, 2011 at 09:16 AM