The Big Dark (Welcome to the Pacific Northwest)

Welcome to fall in the Pacific Northwest. 

If you moved to Bellingham this summer, or plan to move here in a future year, welcome! Bellingham summers can be pretty glorious, with the long golden evenings at Trackside or on the water, stunning sunsets over the Bay, and loads of time to spend in our parks and on the trails and lakes. 

One reason the summertime is so special here is because of its fleeting nature. We sometimes get a false spring fairly early on, and sometimes a glorious week or two in May, but true summer often doesn’t arrive until July 4th. From Independence Day to Labor Day, we live it up. 

And then, something that locals to our regions sometimes call:  

The Big Dark.

You see, it gets dark pretty fast this time of year. The change happens quickly. Astronomers can better explain the science but it has to do with where we are latitude-wise and the tilt of the earth.

And what happens is that daylight disappears faster in September and October than it does in the months immediately preceding and following (there’s a corresponding lightening in March and for many of us, more daylight has a noticeable physical effect on our energy and mood).

For example, Washington loses 50 minutes-per-day of daylight over the month of July, but in September and October, that rises to 90 to 100! Today, sunrise was at 6:57am and sunset will be at 7:07pm (btw that means we lost half an hour of daylight since I began writing this blog post).  Just a few weeks from now, after the Daylight Savings time change, sunrise will be at 6:55am and sunset will be 4:49pm. By the winter solstice, our day length will be just 8 hours and 25 minutes.

But there’s more. This area is also known for gray, cloudy skies and a high chance of drizzling rain through many weeks. We get less measured rainfall than other areas, but around 150-160 days of rainfall per year (sources vary). In July 2024, we got rain on just 3 of the 31 days, whereas in November the rainfall metric was essentially the reverse. 

Now, for the first few weeks, the cozy rainfall, the cooler air, the beautiful leaves all creates that glorious classic fall feeling which many of us love so dearly, and which is why September-October is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. 

Then the winds come and blow away the leaves, and send icy gusts from the Fraser valley down my street, and the days shorten further, and I don’t see my home in daylight for weeks. While it isn’t a clinical SAD (seasonal affective disorder) - if you find yourself experiencing severe symptoms, please seek support and professional help - many of us feel a bit lower and a bit more muted.

Beating the winter blues

Here at the Bham RE Co, we’ve all lived in this area for years; for me, it’s more than two decades. When we chatted about the ways we work to keep ourselves out of the slump, we heard the usual suspects: supercharging our vitamin D intake, exercise, social outlets, creativity, and embracing the unique offerings of the darker time of year.

Here are some of our recommendations:

• Peak Hydration in Bellingham offers IV infusions with blends focused on immunity, fatigue, and stress. 
• Bellingham has a ton of fitness options - just a few of our personal favorites are Iron Lotus Kung Fu (Jay), Armory Pickleball (Morgan), Focal Point Pilates (Tiffany),  Apex Fitness NW (Max) and Training Grounds (Chris). 
• Embrace cozy creativity at Bison Bookbinding (one of Ben’s favorites), Apple Yarns (a former Building Bellingham guest), and Art & Happiness. 
• Laugh it out at the Upfront Theatre in downtown Bellingham. With multiple shows a week and various themes to choose from, there’s something for everyone (note: many shows are 18+)
• Find your next favorite evening read at Fairhaven’s Village Books, or come out to one of their hundreds of author and community events each year!
• Enjoy the arts and music with concerts by the Whatcom Chorale or at the Wild Buffalo.
• Join a club - Bellingham has a ton of options, from Shakespeare read-alouds (Tiffany is part of a Shakespeare club) to medieval combat to coding and robotics, and so much more! Clubs are often shared by word of mouth so don’t hesitate to post on the Bellingham subreddit or your social media of choice as you’re looking for others who share your interests! 
• Attend a winter festival, like Winterfest,  Fire & Story, or local solstice, Advent/Epiphany events. 
• Especially if it’s your first winter in Bellingham, be sure to subscribe to the LiveBellinghamNow community newsletter to get monthly updates on local events and happenings!
  
  

What do you do to alleviate the winter blues?

This article was written entirely by Tiffany Ng, with no AI research, drafting, or editing. Cover photo of Lake Padden, taken by Tiffany Ng.