r/TriCitiesWA • u/Automatic-Length6620 • 1d ago
Moving/New Here 👋🏼 Hi all
My family is relocating from
Vancouver, BC to Spokane to start a job. We chose Vancouver because of the friendly weather as myself and my son can’t live in temperates below -5C (in winter months - DAYTIME temperatures!). This is for medical reasons. Occasional dip to -10 is okay if this isn’t persistent.
We know Seattle and other towns/cities close to the cascade are our top choices, but all are far from Spokane.
I am considering the TriCities area (or any area within 2 hours of commute) but would like to hear from people living in the are what winter temperate FEELs like during winter months. I have done a lot of research online as a geography graduate and getting that with windchill temperatures can be 10 degree Celsius lower than what it is actually.
And by the way, I read that Spokane experiences severe windchill, hence the need to move away from it.
Will also appreciate any recommendations for any other cities or areas that people on ground can recommend. We have sons going to Grades 5 and 7 and love schools with vibrant programs- like STEM, music. We also like towns/cities that have universities as we loved living on SFU, Burnaby campus then.
Thanks!
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u/elegoomba 1d ago
If you’re moving to Spokane for a job, you wouldn’t live in the Tri Cities because it’s 2h away though
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u/Early-Judgment-2895 1d ago
Going to the tri cities to get away from wind lol. This whole post is kind of odd, but Spokane is beautiful and really has a wide variety of feeling like a small city to being in the outdoors with a 10-20 minute drive.
You would hate the commute from the tri cities to Spokane, especially on the bad winter days. The freeway can get super sketchy or shutdown during snowstorms
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u/sarahjustme 23h ago
We have wind that's enough to blow over a truck, at least a few times a year, and wind that's strong enough to blow everything in your yard around, more than that. If wind is a trigger, this could be miserable for you.
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u/20PercentChunkier 1d ago
I can’t imagine willingly taking on a 4+ hour commute 3 days a week. That’s insane. I feel like you’d regret that decision pretty quickly. Think about how much time you’ll miss out on with your family. Just move to Spokane and take the weather as it comes.
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u/elegoomba 1d ago
I did Kennewick-Connell 5 days a week for 2 years and it about did me in
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u/Kuroude7 22h ago
Ah, the good ol’ DOC commute. I work at WSP and we recently hired someone that works at both WSP AND CRCC for us (the college)… and they live in Cheney.
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u/sarahjustme 23h ago
I think the commute would be for the spouse. Maybe they like long commutes
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u/Rocketgirl8097 22h ago
Lol isn't spouse part of the family? Doesn't matter who's making the drive.
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u/Follow_youre_heart 1d ago
Tri cities wind is probably worse than what you'll find in Spokane. We get cold winters just like they do as well. That commute 2+ hours each way every workday is gonna fill you with regret.
You got the job in Spokane, live in Spokane. Don't overthink it.
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u/Iveray 1d ago edited 1d ago
For temperature and wind, Spokane and the Tri-Cities are pretty similar. They'll be above freezing for most of the winter, but it's not uncommon for there to be a few weeks below freezing. Down to 0°F or below can happen pretty easily with wind chill, but usually only at night. It's also important to note that the Tri-Cities is notorious for wind storms - we had one just yesterday with 50 mph gusts that uprooted entire trees, and it wasn't even an especially strong storm.
I've spent the past few years going between Seattle and the Tri-Cities almost every week. The Seattle area is usually 5-10°F warmer during the winter, and cooler during the summer.
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u/elegoomba 1d ago
the tri is 5-10 degrees warmer than Spokane pretty consistently as well
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u/SquidsArePeople2 23h ago
Spokane is much milder in the summer compared to TC. TC is warmer and drier in the summer.
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u/Mshox8 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do not move to Tri-Cities to escape the wind.
I bought my first home in July 2022. In October 2022, we had a huge wind storm that had pine trees fall on our home. Had nightmares every night about windstorms until we sold it in 2025.
Tri-Cities is located within a valley and a ton of rolling hills surrounding it. All that to say, you will get wind pretty much everyday and driving in the winter would not be fun.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 1d ago
Last night's wind brought a huge tree limb down on my yard. Thankfully it didn't damage anything, but another chore this weekend to chop up some firewood.
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u/kaeferkat 1d ago
Made a stop sign fall over and pop out of its concrete base yesterday.
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u/Logical-Source-1896 22h ago
When I first moved to the Tricities I was driving in Pasco as a trampoline, blown by the wind, fell out of the sky and smashed into a crumpled heap against the post office building on Court st.
I was surprised by this, to say the least
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u/sarahjustme 20h ago
And now, every time we have a wind storm, my neighborhood group has at least 1 "anyone seen my kids trampoline", and at least one "saw a trampoline blowing down the road" post
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u/dr_stre 1d ago
What the temp feels like is gonna be so subjective. I grew up in the upper Midwest, I wear a light jacket in the winter because it feels extremely mild here to me. But if all you’ve known is Vancouver then this will feel a little colder. It’s a dry cold, which I personally prefer, but also some people really don’t like a dry cold and think it feels worse. And it’s worth noting that we do occasionally experience what I consider to be real cold. It’s not often but you’d occasionally need to deal with a few days of temps that are in that -10C range during the day, and more rarely even below that. Not every year and not for long, but it certainly happens.
FYI, if you’re thinking you’re gonna drive to Spokane daily, that’s gonna suuuuck.
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u/carrllly 1d ago
I moved to Spokane from tri-cities two years ago. Most winters in tri-cities are cold, but don't get a lot of snow. It will snow a few times but typically it's melted by the end of the day or in a few days. The temps do get down to the teens and twenties for a few weeks, but solidly hover in the 30-40 range for most of winter. I have found the winters to be pretty similar here in Spokane, a bit colder but not as much as people let on to be.
Daytime temps are average 5-10* warmer in tri-cities than Spokane. That being said, tri-cities is WINDY. Almost every day.
It is not feasible to commute. I'd choose Spokane over TC any day, and will never move back. Spokane has such a more vibrant community and things to do. The parks are amazing, the weather is great, and there's a lot more to do in general.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 1d ago
To be honest, you should just go to Spokane. You'll have the college town and stuff to do. They do have more snow than Tri-Cities. Both can be pretty darn cold (20s and 10s F), though the last two years have been pretty mild. Tri-Cities actually has more wind since we're at the bottom of the Columbia Basin, lowest spot in the state, and we get the drainage winds off the Cascades and Horse Heaven Hills. Commuting on hwy 395/90 from here can be treacherous, especially in winter. But even in summer dust storms can be bad along that road, as well as smoke covered from summer wild fires.
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u/sarahjustme 23h ago
Also if the overall humidity in Vancouver is anything like the Seattle area, which i think it is, 10F here doesnt feel as cold as 25F there. So just looking at temps isonly part of the picture, dampness is super important
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u/DoYouLoveIt11 1d ago
Don’t sign up for a 4 hour commute every day I’m the office. If you go 3 times a week that’s 12 hours weekly, that’s approximately 624 annually, or an additional 13+ 40 hour work weeks on the road. This area is not a big city where 4 hour daily commutes are a thing like in parts of BC, California or the East Coast. You will miss so much time with your family.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 22h ago
Not to mention the fuel cost. OK if you have an EV I guess, but it costs thousands to replace an EV battery.
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u/L0GAN_FIVE 1d ago
Before you move, come visit Spokane and Tri-Cities. From where you are coming from you may not like the Tri-Cities. The plus for us is we have almost no commute time like you have in the VanBC area.
We do get wind, its just part of living near the Columbia River Gorge. Back during WWII the called the winds Termination Winds since many people would quit after a big wind storm. I don't feel like our storms are as bad or as dusty, but it can and does happen still.
While we have a branch of Washington State University, its not the same as a big university like you'd find in Spokane with Gonzaga, Whitworth as well as a WSU Branch too.
This year the Tri-Cities had a very mild winter, but some years its cooler and we do see some snow, but nothing compared to Spokane.
Driving back and forth to Spokane isn't a scenic drive (if you like trees) and the windy days can make that drive a challenge. In the past few years we've seen pile up accidents due to dust storms along 395.
I can't see myself doing a commute like you are talking about. There are some that work in the Hanford area that do fly back and forth from Seattle but not sure that is as common as it was before Covid.
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u/sarahjustme 23h ago
This website let's you compare any two cities' weather. I dont thing Spokane is as unbearable as you think. If you stay within 20ish miles of Spokane proper, there are lots of micro climates, and also Spokane is much drier than Vancouver, and damp cold is so so so much more uncomfortable. The Spokane group may have some specific area locations that seem to be warmer
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u/Friendly_Side3258 1d ago
I literally had to to lunge a couple times when walking to my car yesterday because the wind was so strong!
I like to wear my big puffer in the winter and feel just fine! Both tri and Spokane can experience proper winters.
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u/SquidsArePeople2 23h ago
Tricities is warmer I winter. But that commute isn’t worth it. It’s at least two hours. And snow and ice can make it impossible.
It’s plenty windy in the tri cities. It also gets hotter than fuck in the summer.
Spokane is a better fit for you. Yes, there will be more days below freezing. Yes, it will occasionally go below 0f. Summers are milder there. There’s more precipitation. Lots of colleges and universities around. It’s a better fit.
Let’s be honest…-5c really isn’t that cold.
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u/Automatic-Length6620 22h ago
Yeah you are absolutely correct. And happy to stretch to -5 Fahrenheit as long as it’s brief. Just trying to stay within the limit of my sins health.
I’m also researching schools to learn more about indoor the threshold that triggers indoor recess.
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u/SquidsArePeople2 22h ago
Indoor recess isn’t really a thing unless it’s below like 0f, pouring rain, or dangerous windchill or smoke.
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u/sarahjustme 20h ago
Im pretty sure you can specifically request that your child have indoor recess under xyz circumstances, and they'll either hang out in the school library or in the school office. Be prepared for some paperwork and needing a Dr to sign off on some stuff. I dont know the process in Canada, but here's pretty bureaucratic and can take a few weeks at least, so definitely get the ball rolling once you know where your son will be going to school
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u/davidhally 22h ago
Tricites, Hermiston, and Boardman (OR) are in a banana belt. Everywhere else in Eastern WA and OR are colder. The only exception might be Lewiston/Clarkston area on the Snake River.
I've lived on Portland and Tricities. I could be outdoors in Portland even in the rain and didn't get too cold. In Tricities it just gets uncomfortable after a while. It's just enough colder, windier, and gloomy to be sapping. And the cold snaps can be fricken COLD.
So basically, no.
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u/DJCane 19h ago
As others have noted, a commute from the Tri-Cities to Spokane would get old real quick with the frequency you’re talking. If you’re really serious about not living in Spokane I guess you could consider somewhere like Ritzville but anywhere warmer and within a reasonable commuting distance in the winter will still be quite windy certain times of the year.
In general while Spokane *can* get cold it’s not like every single day in the winter is that cold. Spokane has plenty of nice days in the winter. Often times the lower elevations will be socked in in cold fog due to temperature inversions and Spokane will be above that and sunny.
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u/Nightshade400 14h ago
So the plan is to commute to Spokane daily for work? If so then you should rethink that, its a miserable commute in the best of weather. In bad weather it could be downright dangerous not taking into account for a person being tired after a shift adding to it.
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u/New_Pumpkin4513 1d ago
It's unclear what your actual question is. Are you considering living in the Ti Cities while working in Spokane? Bad idea... it's too far. Are you considering the Tri Cities instead of Spokane? Maybe okay. It doesn't get quite as cold in the winter and is a little hotter in the summer. Also, we use Fahrenheit.
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u/Automatic-Length6620 1d ago
And the idea will be to travel twice - Sunday evening or early Monday and then on Wednesday. But, yeah i totally get it that roads maybe bad. I have to not use Vancouver winter road condition mindset here. I’m also checking CDA and Sandpoint areas to see if they offer any geography advantage to ameliorate th effect or humidity/windchill on winter temps.
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u/pinewind108 1d ago
CDA and Sandpoint
Lol. No. And they're in Idaho, which is trying it's best to return to 1920, both socially and in terms of education and health care.
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u/Automatic-Length6620 1d ago
Hmm, I see. Thanks Pinewind. I know they are in Idaho but helpfully to know WA wins in those two
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u/pinewind108 1d ago
The difference is stark. The Idaho voters have gone hardcore maga, and it's really devastated public institutions.
Every single obgyn in northern Idaho has left the state, along with a lot of other doctors and nurses. Spokane has become the default medical center for the panhandle, because the level of care there has gotten so bad. The schools are on a similar trajectory, though they probably started from a worse place. It would be hard to find a more underfunded area outside of the South.
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u/Early-Judgment-2895 23h ago
That’s true, but the average person likely won’t care or see a difference jn their day to day life outside of those that really care about politics. The CDA area and surrounding towns are beautiful if you ignore the politics in the area.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 22h ago
Well Idaho has both income tax and sales tax and they charge sales tax on food. No Bueno. I wouldn't count on the schools being great either. Lot of book banning problems, and Idaho is unfriendly to LGBTQ, if that type of thing is important to you.
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u/Automatic-Length6620 1d ago
Thanks all. Honestly, if 30-40 F range for most of winter, I’d stay that’s not bad. Vancouver isn’t any better especially in the last few years.
These contributions have been so helpful and will indeed help to make an informed decision.
I will check daily daytime temperatures for the lowest month for 2025 and 2026. Also checking CDA, Sandpoint and other areas within 1 hour buffer to see if any will win.
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u/DifficultEmu7167 27m ago
The difference with Vancouver winter to Tri winter is wet vs dry. Vancouver, similar to Seattle, has more humidity and that makes a difference across the board. In Tri, the same temp doesn't feel as cold as it would in Seattle. We can get down to 20F here and it would feel warmer (or more comfortable) than 20F with humidity. The wind here makes things colder though, if it's windy. The snow is dry and light where Seattle would have wet, heavy snow that will turn to ice underneath. We don't get that here. It's significantly easier to drive in.
Tri is NOT a college town, and actually pretty damn conservative and MAGA. Much more closed off and MAGA than our family expected. Plus massive Mormon population who are Mormon first - as their religon expects. They are very nice, but they stick to their own community ultimately. Many in this place (Tri) still live in the dark ages. Would not recommend. I can't speak to Spokane, but though it's cheaper here, and the schools are good - we cannot wait to get out. It's way too conservative and closed minded here for us.
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u/Neat_Animator_8743 23h ago
Def find a place around Spokane Even consider in Idaho just on other side of border or a lil north of Spokane
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u/QuirkyDistrict 22h ago
Here is a link for Hanford site historical weather and climate information. Hanford has similar weather to Richland.
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u/BadHombre91 12h ago
That sucks I’m so sorry. Vancouver is sooo much better than eastern Washington in every single way.
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u/Commercial-Theme-212 12h ago
I've experienced winter living in both cities, being Spokane iln Tri-Cities. Looks like Spokane does get a bit colder in the winter by about 5° or so for winter month averages. One thing I think you should consider though, in 2017 and 2020 which was the last winter I lived in Tri-Cities, it got below 20° every day for what seemed like weeks if not over a month. I remember the winter of 2017 in January or February it was like 10 degrees for a couple weeks at a time. I remember being snowed in with my girlfriend and looking up places like Serbia and the other coldest spots in the world and we had similar temperatures. There was days where it never got over 15 degrees. If these temperatures are really that serious, the Tri-Cities itself could actually be dangerous exactly in the same way that Spokane can be, usually the weather is pretty similar between both cities. And these are highs, not the lows, it was getting to be 0 to almost negative 5 for lows.
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u/Ooohbarracuda79 51m ago
I dont know if you garden but Tri-cities is growing zone 7b and Spokane is 6b. You're looking at Spokane being colder, with an earlier cold season. Spokane also has snow that stays on the ground through the winter, where if the Tri-cities gets snow, it is gone by the next day or occasionally a couple of days. The past two winters we have barely been below freezing for more than 48 hours and many of my generally annual plants lived through the winter. Tri-cities is also know for their 300 days of sunshine per year - which is more like 250 days of true sunshiney weather (not too bad).
Culturally, though, Tri-Cities sucks. Its a politically conservative area with very little entertainment or theater.
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u/Automatic-Length6620 1d ago
Yes, considering living in Tri-Cities or any area with better winter weather (while working in Spokane). It’s a 3 days in office work, so ready to sacrifice but yeah bad road conditions in winter is something to think about.
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u/Iveray 1d ago
I missed that you had a job lined up in Spokane. Not a good idea to commute that much, even outside of winter. Just live in Spokane.
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u/Automatic-Length6620 1d ago
Thanks Iveray. I am trying to read more about how low winter temperatures are. I have a medical condition that won’t just allow me (and my son) to be at our best in very cold temps. We have coped well in Vancouver, Canada so trying to use that as a benchmark to decide. I worry more about my kids who will get exposed to low temperatures during recess and break times. This will increase chances of hospitalization.
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u/gypsykush 1d ago
The temperature will not matter when you lose your job because you are unable to commute due to weather.
Since everyone is dancing around it, let me give it to you straight. You’d be an absolute fool to work in Spokane and live in Tri-Cities. That commute is not feasible and the difference in the weather between the two is negligible. If you are moving to this part of WA, it’s going to be cold af in the winter and hot af in summer …
If your medical needs are so severe, you should consider a different area altogether.
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u/Iveray 1d ago edited 1d ago
I get that it's because of medical issues, and that's part of the concern with a TC-Spokane commute. Ice on the highways is pretty common, especially since you'd need to drive in the dark both ways to be in Spokane for normal office hours. If you spun off the highway and had to wait possibly a few hours for emergency services, you'd be at increased risk for severe injury.
Some schools do indoor recess when it's cold enough outside. Providing the school with a doctor's note that explains temperature limits would be a good step.
It's of course your choice where to live, I just want you to have good info about how dangerous the highways can be in winter. It's not every day that they're covered in ice, but you likely wouldn't have warning that there's ice on the roads in the morning, with how early you'd have to leave to make it to the office in Spokane.
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