How to Compare Two City Climates

When deciding between two cities, people tend to compare what they already know: "I've heard Seattle is rainy." Better to pull up both climate profiles and look at the actual month-by-month numbers.

The fastest insight comes from overlaying monthly highs. That immediately reveals whether the cities have similar or different ranges. Seattle vs San Francisco shows two mild coastal climates but Seattle vs Denver shows wildly different personalities despite similar latitudes.

Then compare precipitation totals and timing. Two cities with the same annual rainfall can have very different climates if one gets it in winter storms and the other in summer thunderstorms.

Finally, check frost dates if gardening or seasonal heat bills matter. That single number often decides the deal.