What's the weather like in Anacortes, WA?

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Weather in Anacortes 

Living in a town that is well known for its tourist activity in the spring and summer months, I have come to find myself answering the question, “What’s the typical weather like here?” Or, “How much rain does Anacortes get? As much as Seattle?”  

 

Here’s the Scoop

Anacortes is in a “sunbelt”.  This means that Anacortes is sunnier than other cities directly adjacent to ours.  This is because Anacortes is located on the North Eastern borderline of the Olympic Mountains. Some call this the Olympic Rain Shadow.  Our town is noticeably warmer than Mount Vernon, our neighboring city, by about 5 degrees +/-  in the summer months and cooler by 5 degrees +/- in the fall and winter months. 

 

Fog in Anacortes?

A lot of people notice there to be a substantial amount of fog in the Skyline area of Anacortes in the morning hours.  This fog is actually the marine layer that lingers in the morning and typically burns off as the daytime temperatures rise and humidity falls, usually around noon.  This marine layer can make it seem quite cool while it lasts. 

 

Snow in Anacortes?

Winter in Anacortes is typically quite mild.  While our neighboring cities in Skagit County have snow and the highways are menacing with ice, our small town keeps what snow we have accumulated for about a day or two.  Since we aren’t used to a lot of snow, in our area, shops and streets tend to be quiet.  Some shops and restaurants in Anacortes will close for the day to keep employees and visitors safe but customarily open doors up the next day if the roads are clear enough to drive safely.

 

Weather in General

The rest of Anacortes is fairly temperate and does not pose many extremes when mid-summer OR mid-winter months hit.  We have recently had some weather that conflicts with this statement, but that has been a regional phenomenon.  The heat wave of Summer 2021 will vouch for that. Also, see the article on Climate.gov on this heatwave occurrence.

 

Info For Our Travelers, Sightseers, Daytrippers, and Holidaymakers.

When you visit Anacortes, always plan for the season you are in.  Winter can be cold but rarely “freezing”; Spring will be rainy, but not usually “pouring”; Summer will be clear and warm but hardly “scorching”; and Fall will be gorgeous with a bit of a chill and probably the expected drizzle. 


Remember when visiting Anacortes, we do live on Fidalgo Island so a fair breeze off the water will be sure to be present and an occasional fall windstorm will be a welcome to a cozy afternoon indoors.  Enjoy and take it all in.  No matter what the season!