Season guide · Seattle · United States
Seattle in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Cody Logan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Dark, damp and cool rather than cold; snow in the city is occasional, while the Cascade ski areas are in season. Expect highs up to 10°C (50°F) and lows around 2°C (36°F), with about 54 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 2°C (36°F) to 10°C (50°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 54
- Sea
- 8°C (46°F) to 9°C (48°F)
- Crowds
- Very quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C (46°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 19 | 8.8 h | 1/5 |
| February | 10°C (50°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 16 | 10.2 h | 1/5 |
| December | 8°C (46°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 19 | 8.4 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 9°C (48°F) against a yearly 16°C (61°F), and 54 of the year's roughly 155 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 1/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Lunar New Year celebrations in the Chinatown-International District (late January or February)
- December: Christmas Ships, decorated boats with choirs, on Puget Sound and the lakes (usually December)
Good choices for winter
Park · Capitol Hill
Volunteer Park and Conservatory
Climb the stairs of the water tower for a free view over the city and the Cascades.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Views
- Rainy day
Gallery · First Hill
Frye Art Museum
Seattle's free art museum, founded on the private collection of Charles and Emma Frye, shows 19th-century German and American paintings alongside contemporary exhibitions in a calm building on First Hill.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Seattle Center
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Visit late in the day when the glasshouse and garden pieces are lit, or buy a combined ticket with the Space Needle.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Art
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Rainy day
Museum · Seattle Center
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
Frank Gehry's crumpled metal building houses exhibitions on music, film and gaming, including permanent galleries on Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, both of whom came from the Seattle area.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Architecture
- History
Aquarium · Downtown and Pike Place
Seattle Aquarium
Check the day's feeding and talk times at the entrance and plan around the otters.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Day trips in winter
- Woodinville wine country (About 35 minutes by car) — More than 100 wineries and tasting rooms, many making wine from eastern Washington grapes, cluster in this town northeast of Seattle, along with Chateau Ste.
- Leavenworth (About 2.5 hours by car) — A former logging town rebuilt in Bavarian style in the 1960s, set in the Cascade foothills, with German food, beer halls and riverside walks.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Seattle?
It is a trade-off: Dark, damp and cool rather than cold; snow in the city is occasional, while the Cascade ski areas are in season. The best months overall are June–September.
+What is the weather like in Seattle in winter?
Highs of up to 10°C (50°F) and lows around 2°C (36°F), with about 54 rainy days over the season.