I've frozen my bellybutton off on both sides of the cascades. Actually east of the cascades in the yakima desert was more comfortable because it stayed frozen. West of the cascades, on the coast it would thaw during the day and freeze at night. So your hole would turn to mud, and the snow would turn to slush during the day and then freeze at night. Your clothes would get soaked during the day and freeze at night. My first introduction and handshake with hypothermia was west of the cascades observing arty at a Ft. Lewis impact area. I'll never forget the weird ominous echoing sound of artillery caused by a cold overcast air inversion. Hate it hate it hate.
I much prefered spending january and febuary in yakima instead of the coast.
Yeah, that freezing inversion layer situation happens occasionally, but not very often. Fog so thick we end up going 25mph on the highway, and it freezes to everything on contact. The sun never penetrates the fog, so nothing melts during the day. Last time, it lasted a couple weeks straight. We also get the odd 1ft of snow now and then, and the occasional ice storm, or the hurricane force autumn wind storms. But most years winters are very mild, last 2 years we didn't even have any snow at home. Just scrape the frost from the car windows and go!
Man, way better than New England, where you need a heavy steel ice chopper, along with your snow shovel, just to get out of your driveway! And the snow plow leaves a 5ft high wall of snow in your way. EVERY time!
Today, shortest day of the year, was a normal morning, 27deg light frost, crystal blue sky, and a red dawn. Frost will thaw by 2pm and pretend to be spring until the sun goes down.
Until the clouds come back, and it will be 35deg and raining, the usual condition in western WA.
