December in Seattle

University Way NE, also known as The Ave.

NE 45th Street at the corner of University Way NE, the busiest intersection on The Ave.  Hotel Deca appears at the upper left.

Women spray-painting a wreath of twigs in an alley off NW 45th Street.

The bus stop on Campus Parkway NE.  The buildings shown here are student housing for the University of Washington.

An academic building on the University of Washington campus.

December in Seattle was colder & much drier than normal.  The mean temperature was 39.7F/4.27C.  The normal mean temperature is 40.6F/4.78C.  Total precipitation was 1.66 inches/42.16mm.  Normal precipitation is 5.35 inches/135.89mm.  The highest temperature was 56F/13.3C on 12/1.  The lowest was 19F/-7.22C on 12/7.  There was 1 day with rain, 15 days with light rain, 2 days with light snow, 20 days with fog (10 of them with visibility at less than 1/4 mile) 3 days with haze, 17 cloudy days, 11 partly cloudy days & 3 fair days.  There were 5 very cold nights from 12/5 through 12/9, with low temperatures between 19F/-7.22C & 24F/-4.44C degrees.  We were very cold in bed those nights & slept under every wool blanket we had.  We were pleased to see 1.1 inches/27.94mm of snow on the morning of 12/21 & just as pleased to see it melt within a few hours. 

The photos above were taken on 12-7-13 in the University District.  This area was annexed to Seattle in 1893 while it was still mostly clear-cut forest.  It grew with the University of Washington.  Founded in 1861, the UW (u-DUB) is one of the oldest universities on the west coast & has one of the best medical schools in the world.  The university relocated from downtown to this campus in 1895.  In 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held on the campus grounds & its plan became part of the campus master plan.  Although this is a vibrant neighborhood, there has been a recent push for redevelopment as an 'innovation zone' with buildings as high as 340 feet.  Light rail is scheduled to reach the U District in 2021.