Being Canada's wettest city, is something Rupertites kind of take inordinate pride in.
I guess it is something distinctive, but still, I think we kind of get a bad rap in that regard.
Maybe I've been lucky in my two years here and haven't seen the worst of it, but still, let's break down the stats a bit.
On average, we get 2,620mm of rain a year and 240 days with "measurable precipitation." That's only 11mm per "rainy" day.
By themselves those stats may look like it's raining all the time, but, of course, we know it doesn't work that way.
Last Tuesday (July 23), for example, was a beautiful day of sun mixed with clouds. Yes, we had measurable precipitation of 6.2mm, but that mostly came later in the evening.
And that's kind of the way it works for most coastal cities in the summer. The rain tends to come during our less active hours.
We get around 1,230 hours of sunshine a year out of a possible 4,300 or so. That's that bad especially because, let's face it, sunshine is overrated. That friggin' thing is hot.
In fact, the summers, while perhaps rainier on average than other cities in Canada, are pretty pleasant. The average daytime high is a lovely 15.67C. Even when we have relatively hot days, they rarely breach the low 20s.
Honestly, I'd take that over the high 20s and low 30s that are typical of more inland areas.
There are times of the year that are much rainier. It tends to peak in the fall.
So, all in all, arguably when we need it most, the climate is pretty nice.
Also, while there are some dark and dreary periods in the winter, it is mild with an average daytime high of 5.2C for December, January and February, making us the 10th warmest city in the country in the winter.
That's a pretty fair trade-off for a little rain.
I don't even mind the green Christmases.
When I travel outside of Rupert now, people never fail to ask me if the climate gets me down (apparently our reputation proceeds me).
My answer is an unequivocal, no.
Aside from not being as bad as it looks on paper, there is a magical, mystical atmosphere to the Pacific Northwest unmatched by any place I've ever been (except maybe the jungles of Indonesia) and not only do I get to experience it, I get to live here.
Call me a glass-half-full kind of guy, but I'm loving it.
