Washington is 3.2°C (5.8°F) warmer by day, Washington has 1.4°C (2.5°F) warmer nights, Seattle gets 147 mm (5.8 in) more rain a year.
Seattle is at its warmest in August and coolest in December, while Washington peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Washington is the warmer of the two in 8 of 12 months.
Seattle is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,255 mm (49.4 in) of rain a year against 1,108 mm (43.6 in) in Washington. The most comfortable time to visit is July, August and September in Seattle and May, June and September in Washington.
| Seattle | Metric | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 58.5°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 64.2°F |
| 43.9°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 46.4°F |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| December | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 49.4 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 43.6 in |
| November | ☔Wettest month | July |
| July | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 83% | 💧Average humidity | 76% |
| 0.7 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 2.7 m/s |
Overnight, Seattle typically falls to around 6.6°C (43.9°F) while Washington settles near 8°C (46.4°F).
Seattle is hottest in August and coldest in December, whereas Washington peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Seattle sees the most rain in November and the least in July; Washington is wettest in July and driest in February.
Seattle feels the more humid of the two, averaging 83% relative humidity against 76%.
For Washington, the pick of the year is May, June and September.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Seattle | Washington | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 35.1 | 40.1 | 45 | 24.8 | 32❄️ | 39.2 |
| February | 34.9 | 41 | 47.1 | 26.8 | 34.9 | 43 |
| March | 37.8 | 44.8 | 51.6 | 33.3 | 42.6 | 52 |
| April | 40.8 | 48.6 | 56.5 | 42.8 | 52.9 | 63.1 |
| May | 46.2 | 54.7 | 63 | 53.2 | 62.8 | 72.1 |
| June | 50.7 | 59.2 | 67.6 | 63 | 72.3 | 81.5 |
| July | 55 | 64.2 | 73.2 | 68.9 | 78.3🔥 | 87.4 |
| August | 55.8 | 64.9🔥 | 74.3 | 67.5 | 76.8 | 86.2 |
| September | 51.4 | 60.4 | 69.4 | 60.4 | 70 | 79.5 |
| October | 45 | 52.2 | 59.5 | 48.2 | 57.9 | 67.6 |
| November | 38.8 | 44.2 | 49.6 | 37.6 | 46.4 | 55.2 |
| December | 34.3 | 39❄️ | 43.7 | 29.5 | 36.7 | 44.1 |
| Annual Avg | 43.9 | 51.1 | 58.5 | 46.4 | 55.2 | 64.2 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°F). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Seattle and Washington feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Seattle Washington
See how Seattle and Washington stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Seattle and Washington — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Washington is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 17.9°C (64.2°F) against 14.7°C (58.5°F) in Seattle — roughly 3.2°C (5.8°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Washington, with average lows of 8°C (46.4°F) versus 6.6°C (43.9°F).
Seattle is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 23.5°C (74.3°F), while Washington peaks in July at around 30.8°C (87.5°F). That makes Washington the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Washington gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -4°C (24.8°F), compared with 1.3°C (34.4°F) at the low point of the year in Seattle.
Seattle is the wetter city, collecting about 1,255 mm (49.4 in) of rain a year versus 1,108 mm (43.6 in) in Washington. Seattle is wettest in November and driest in July; Washington is wettest in July and driest in February.
Seattle is the more humid of the two, averaging 83% relative humidity over the year against 76% in Washington.
The most comfortable months in Seattle are July, August and September, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Washington is at its most pleasant around May, June and September, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Washington is the warmer city in 8 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in July, about 7.8°C (14°F), and narrowest in March, about 1.2°C (2.2°F).
Washington has the bigger seasonal swing, about 25.7°C (46.3°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 14.4°C (25.9°F) in Seattle — so Seattle has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Washington comes out ahead — it offers warmer days, less rain and lower humidity than Seattle. Seattle is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather, more rainfall and a more humid climate.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Seattle and Washington, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
