How does the Pacific North West average such low dew points when it’s known for its precipitation?
In: 5
Because the air there is quite cool. The air in the PNW doesn’t actually have that much water in it, but the cool temperatures allow that water to easily condense out and fall as the region’s characteristic light drizzles. It’s also assisted by the mountains, which cause air to rise and cool and tend to squeeze much of the rainfall out of each air parcel (which is why the inland portions of Washington and Oregon are arid grassland).
In terms of actual total rainfall. the PNW outside of the mountains gets a decent but not insane amount. Seattle gets 37 inches of rain a year. Compare Miami, Florida (67 inches, despite having fewer rainy days than Seattle on average), Atlanta, Georgia (50 inches), or Washington, D.C. (42). It rains a *lot*, but not very heavily. The parts where there actually is a ton of total rainfall (like the Hoh Rainforest, which averages nearly 200 inches a year) are mostly in the mountains.
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