A Note about Oregon Weather

People think about Oregon and they think rain. Which is partially true. There is a period from late October to early April where it does rain the majority of days. Typically, it is a light drizzle on and off throughout the day, but occasionally it gets heavy. Almost never thunderstorms, at least outside of the mountains, but moisture is frequently present. We don’t let it stop us from doing things outside, like hiking, because we don’t have another option and it usually isn’t very cold.

But the thing people don’t usually realize, is that there is almost no rain the remainder of the year. Summer is very dry and not humid. I always tell people that the absolutely best months to visit are May or June because everything is crazy green and blooming from the winter rains, but it hasn’t dried out yet. If you visit in August, you might find it more brown than you were expecting. Nice and sunny, to be sure, but less green.

The most important thing when planning for the rain is to decide what kind of traveler you want to be. Would you rather fit in or be comfortable? Local Oregonians never use an umbrella. We just throw on one of our many raincoats, flip up the hood, and deal with it. Does an umbrella actually keep you significantly drier? Absolutely. But it will be a dead giveaway that you’re visiting.