Dear Tom,
Does Chicago or Seattle get more annual precip? I say Seattle, but my friend thinks Chicago.
Kenji Yamanouchi
Dear Kenji,
Technically you are correct, Seattle does get more precipitation than Chicago, but the difference is slight. Based on 1971-2000 normals Seattle averages 37.07″ annually while Chicago logs in with 36.27″.
While Seattle receives the bulk of its precipitation during the winter when moisture-laden storms roll in off the Pacific, Chicago’s peak precipitation season is summer when thunderstorms fueled by Gulf of Mexico moisture drop copious amounts of rain. November is Seattle’s wettest month (5.90″), while August’s 4.62″ leads Chicago. On the dry side of the ledger June brings Seattle a scant .79″ as compared to February’s 1.63″ for Chicago. Chicago does take the snow honors however, with an annual average of 38″ compared to only 8.1″ in Seattle.
———-
Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
