What’s the Weather in Bellingham Like?

Oyster Dome in Spring.

Bellingham weather is truly something to behold. Each season really gets it’s own chance to shine. I’ll admit over the course of living here the when and the intensity of the seasons has shifted which I can only imagine is due to climate change.

But let’s talk about the weather season by season!

Winter in Bellingham

I love it. It’s cold and we get the rare snowfall for a couple days but it usually melts or you wake up to snow and by the afternoon it’s melted. I’ve been impressed over the years the snow-related services the City has in response to keeping everyone safe considering we rarely experience snow. Some areas will get more snow and weather can be different across Whatcom County.

I hear people bemoan it being gray but there are very few days where I notice that. According to Weather Spark: “The cool season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 16 to February 23, with an average daily high temperature below 49°F. The coldest month of the year in Bellingham is December, with an average low of 35°F and high of 44°F.”

For the first time, our pipes did freeze in the winter but our rental was built in the early 1900s, we literally have a cut out in the cupboard that connected the outside to the inside and was used for the “fridge”. So with all the pipes on the outside of the building what can you really expect?

A few years back we did have a wild cold front that dropped several inches of snow that then began to melt but froze over before it fully melted. It was great fun if you had no where to go. Across the board, Bellingham winters reward those who bundle up and are prepared, but it’s not wintery, snowy, or icy enough to stop you from going out or going about your day.

Spring in Bellingham

April showers bring May flowers! The popular belief that it always rains in Seattle/Washington/Any PNW location is just silly. According to Forecast, “Bellingham gets 36 inches of measurable precipitation per year. That’s less than Miami (57 inches), New York City (43 inches) and Boston (42 inches).”

Inches of Rain Per Year

Turns out it's not that rainy in Bellingham.

I can’t find great data on how many sunny days we get, but I do feel like “sunny” is more subjective than measurable amounts of water coming from the sky. Some sources say Bellingham gets about 157 sunny days per year. I’ll have to keep count.

Anyway, Spring in Bellingham is beautiful. It’s a mixed bag, some rain, some shine, still need a sweater and maybe a rain coat when you go out. It’s a roll of the dice, but it doesn’t swing wildly. I love how green everything becomes, it’s beautiful. Plus, we have the Tulip Fields in our neighboring county of Skagit! Which if you are visiting during the month of April you have to go. Traffic might not be great if you’re coming from the South, but North going South I’ve rarely had problems. You won’t regret visiting the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

But even if you’re not into flowers, there are enough deciduous trees that you can feel the green starting to unveil itself amongst the evergreen trees pine needles. Plus, there are many trees in Bellingham that have tiny flowers from plum trees to cherry blossoms that is a real marker that Spring as arrived along with the Spring weather in Bellingham. Which can still surprise you with it’s chill, but the sun that comes through makes it great for adventuring and visiting the farmer’s markets around town.

If you’re not into greenery to kick off your Spring, Bellingham also has Ski to Sea which really kicks the good weather. Ski to Sea is a seven-legged, 93-mile (150 km) long, multi-event competition, the original multisport relay race, from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay. It concludes in Fairhaven which gets filled with people, food trucks, athletes, markets, and it’s just one of the top-tier happenings in Spring.

Summer in Bellingham

Summer weather in Bellingham is truly perfect. It’s the season we all wait for and honestly, I feel bad for the Western Washington University students who “go home” for the summer. This is when Bellingham really comes to life. The weather is warm, relatively dry, perfect for hiking, kayaking, camping, or blasting the AC in the car and exploring the scenic Chuckanut Drive. August is typically the hottest month in Bellingham, with an average high of 73°F (22.8°C) and a low of 55°F (12.8°C) according to Weather Spark.

Rarely do we reach 90°F and even if we do it’s rarer still that we have no wind whooshing in from the Bay. And if it is that quiet dead-still hot weather everyone just jumps off Taylor Dock and you’ll find you’re good to go after a splash in the bay.

In the summer it feels like there are events every weekend in Bellingham from concerts, to farmers markets, maker’s markets and summer theatre put on by western and Bellingham TheatreWorks’ Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre. To really stay on top of all the events I recommend checking out the Bellingham Tourism website.

Fall in Bellingham

Fall is not the end in Bellingham but another amazing transformation. Both with it’s nature as in wild life and nature as in what happens to the community. In Fall, all the Western students come in and are exploring everything. All the new people make the town feel full and alive and yes, it’s hard at times because they are learning all the one-ways, where to ride their bikes, and how to navigate the town and it takes patience every fall, but they get the hang it.

All the colors of Fall don’t shy away from our town. They burst through the evergreens with yellows, oranges, and red and some of my favorite walks are through WWU’s campus to expereince the breadth of colors.

The hikes around Mt. Baker last well into fall as well and the change of colors make the treks worth it in most settings. I would say Fall officially turns sour around mid-October where it gets dark, dreary wet, and you’re not so sure about adventuring out. Though, Halloween keeps most of going and then we all cuddle in for winter and the seasons start all over again!

In Summary ~ There isn’t a Season I don’t love here!

In the end, all the seasons lend itself to living in Bellingham and having a great quality of life. It gets cold but doesn’t freeze or snow like crazy, it’s evergreen but still gives in to Fall colors, the springs are full of flowers and activities but keep you wishing for summer, and summer explodes with warmth breeze and activities worth waiting for.