How to Make the Most of a Weather Window

Here in the Pacific Northwest, December lands in the middle of our seemingly endless months of gray rainy drizzle that make outdoor play extra challenging for families. The months where even if it’s not actively raining, soggy fields and playground puddles create obstacles that require a bit of planning to overcome. While indoor activities and at-home experiments and projects will keep the kids entertained, a dose of fresh air is often what they need, weather be damned. Enter the weather window — your excuse to duck outside for some playtime, even if it’s short-lived.     

What’s a weather window and how do you find one?

Gray skies don’t always mean continual rain, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where we often get limited bursts of sunshine or rain breaks on otherwise overcast autumn days. These weather windows can last anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours and are ripe with possibility for cooped-up families. 

The challenge for parents is recognizing a weather window and capitalizing on it. Luckily, most of us have a weather app on our phones that shows an hourly forecast. Most are accurate enough to plan the day’s breaks ahead of time. Parents can also spy on local weather conditions using webcams. The Space Needle webcam rotates and includes a time-lapse; King 5 has a few webcam views around the area as well. 

Remember that a break in the weather doesn’t need to last all afternoon. It’s just a quick opportunity for an activity break and a change of pace for the kids. 

Make a quick exit

Here’s the sticky part: Sometimes the window has closed by the time the kids are dressed and ready to head out. To avoid that glitch, I suggest creating a grab-and-go bin that sits near the front door for this occasion. Or, keep the bin in your car for on-the-go access. Fill the bin with rain boots, coats, hats and gloves (for those really cold days) and some spare towels to dry off slides or swings if a playground is on your radar. That way, when the skies clear, everyone can grab their gear in a matter of minutes and be out the door.

Keep play hyper-local

Staying close to home is essential when bluer skies appear or the rain takes a break. If you’ve only got 20 minutes, finding a nearby spot is essential. If you’ve got an hour or more, getting a little farther from home may be possible. These ideas are easy to execute and should keep you close to home:

• Head to a neighborhood playground or the playground at your local elementary school.
• Go puddle jumping on your street.
• Wander through a P-Patch garden or another local favorite.
• Take a walk along the beach and explore tidepools.
• Find a nearby forested trail and go on a hike.
• Bike around the block.

In the end, a little rain never hurt anyone, and finding outdoor spaces during the Big Dark can do wonders for everyone’s mood. Sometimes it’s just about suiting up in your best soggy-weather gear, getting out there and making it happen for your kids.