Hey, I was just wondering something that I don't think I've seen the answer to in any sourcebook:

Does it ever snow in Seattle?

I don't think it snows very much, though they did have a blizzard there back in the late 90's, so its not totally unheard of.

For the current city of seattle the answer is: Yes, but not much.

It usually snows several times a year without sticking.

It snows a few inches and sticks for one or two days in about half of years.

Every ten years or so we actually get 6-10 inches of snow, or a whole week where it stays below freezing and the place ices up.

In any event when there is snow on the ground seattle is closed.

The entire metroplex of shadowrun includes some higher areas that get more snow, and the I5 pass to the east closes a few times a year despite heavy plowing capability.

PS the snow season hear is really january - march or so.

From the first Google result for +Seattle +Snow: http://www.edork.com/Photos/SnowDay2004/

~J

I live in Seattle. Snow isn't as big of an issue as ice in the winter, and not that it gets all that bad really. The main problem is that most Seattle-ites (the Philistines that they are) haven't a clue as to how to drive when on it. As far as snow is concerned, there is normally one or two days a year where we get snow that sticks, otherwise its like Rev said. Downtown Seattle rarely sees any sticking snow at all, however its usually cold enough to snow due to the cold temperature of Puget Sound.

Where you get more of a problem with sticking snow is on the northern and eastern suburbs of Seattle (Bellevue, Redmond, and even Kent). Most of the areas to the south have their snow turned to mush due to the lower elevations and distance from the Sound.

That sounds almost exactly like the situation we have here in Atlanta. Right down to people not knowing how to drive.

Heh. It could be worse. People in L.A. can't even drive in light rain.

HA! Ha I say! Try living in Boston, and seeing it snow a foot and wonder if you should have put the snow tires on last weekend...

Then again, who knows what will happen to the climate in the next fifty years - could snow a whole lot in the winter. Or never.

My impression has always been that global warming was reversed to quite some extent by the GGD, this is touched on in Cyberpirates in sections about running sugar and consumer goods up to the TPA lands.

EDIT: I mean to say that with the degree of weather change I see snow in Seattle as quite likely.

This being the 2060s, it's likely acid snow or Awakened killer toxic snow or something crazy.

Ha. People in Fresno can't drive period.

Well, to be fair, the people in Atlanta who can't drive all come from Ohio.

The people who wrote the New Seattle book left a really nice out if you have no idea about the weather in Seattle (other than it always rains, of course):

The Awakening made the weather patterns shift, so they say Seattle is prone to a lot of weird weather.
It can really do whatever, whenever.

Remember, it's maaagggiiiiicccc.

The problem is that Downtown Seattle is hilly, even moreso than San Francisco. If there's any flat land in Seattle, they put it in a museum somewhere. With the hills we have, driving becomes a true nightmare.

And yes, I've seen what you East-coasters call hills. We call them speed bumps. For anyone who's seen Queen Anne hill, you'd realise that our hills are what you'd call "cliff faces".