January is Seattle's gloomiest month

State of play: January is Seattle's darkest month by several measures — especially cloud cover — with overcast or mostly cloudy skies about 71% of the time, more than any other month, per WeatherSpark.

• Seattle also gets only around 70 total hours of sun this month, according to Weather and Climate data.
• December may have shorter days, but January combines lingering darkness with peak cloud cover.

The intrigue: November is Western Washington's wettest month historically, but January's skies remain the gray champ, per the stats.

What's next: Two rainstorms are expected in the Seattle area this week, bringing lowland rain, gusty winds, heavy mountain snow and more gloom, NWS Seattle meteorologist Kayla Mazurkiewicz tells Axios.

The bottom line: The days may be getting longer, but the real mood shift for many people doesn't come until the arrival of daylight saving time in March.