Truth or Myth? You don’t need air conditioning in Portland.

Truth or Myth? You don’t need air conditioning in Portland.

The weather in Portland definitely has a heated reputation throughout the country. The entire Pacific Northwest, but Portland and Seattle specifically, is known for its torrential downpours threatening to drown every living thing, however the summers here are gorgeous.

With typically mild temperatures, low humidity, and weeks without rain (sometimes nearly 60-day stretches without rain, in fact), Portland is a great place to be in the summer. However, many residents will tell you that you don’t need air conditioning here. Let’s investigate.

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Summer

Summer

Portland has virtually the same weather as its soggy northern cousin, Seattle, except with no Space Needle to attract the errant lightning bolt. Oddly, Portland doesn’t have the same reputation for having rainy weather even though it really should. In fact, you’ll often hear about how beautiful the weather can be in Portland, and how wonderful it is to live in a city with such amazing weather and so many outdoor activities.

I’ll try to break down the reality for you.

In order to properly describe the weather, I’m going to start with the season when I moved to Portland – summer. Locals will tell you that the 1-to-2 months of unbelievably, drop-dead, smack-your-mother-in-the-face, gorgeous summer weather we get makes up for the 9-to-11 months of other stuff.

They lie.

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