Last summer we had an all-time record high of 103 in Seattle. We had several weeks where the highs were in the 90s.

But this summer has been completely different. Apparently, there has been a strong high-pressure system over a large portion of the Pacific ocean which has been pushing cooler air into Washington. When you add in storm systems coming south from Alaska, we've had lots of cloudy and cool summer days this year. Here's an excerpt from a Seattle Times article:

Since July 10, the data paint an even glummer picture: nine hours a day of low cloud cover, compared to the seasonal average of 1.6 hours.

This summer appears to be the most cloud-shrouded in Seattle since measurements were started in 1951, UW postdoctoral researcher Jim Johnstone said.

I really don't mind the cloudy, cooler weather. The weather is one of the reasons we moved to Seattle. I love being able to go outside and not being all sweaty after 5 minutes. It's too bad my parents couldn't have had this nice weather when they were here last summer. It cleared up this afternoon and should be sunny the rest of the week, with highs in the mid-80s this weekend.