Rain Country
Ebbie 1999

In the Winter it's raining. The clouds are dark and low.
(It's the normal condition- everybody wants it so
With snow-covered mountains and the valleys wet below)
In Southeast Alaska, we have more rain than snow.

In Spring the clouds are heavy with impending change
Fog and hail, brief sun and wind- we go all the range
There is no predicting but always - or in the main-
In Southeast Alaska, in Spring there is rain.

Ah, but in the summer the misty air's serene,
Clothes damp-dry on the line, the grass is cool and green,
But hang your coat by the fire, lest you go out again
In Southeast Alaska, Summer brings rain.

In Autumn the storms return, dark clouds are in the sky.
Wind strips leaves from all the trees and sends them flying high.
Waters rush, galoshes slosh. A familiar refrain:
In Southeast Alaska, it's raining. Again.

We're a special kind of people who live here, don't you know-
We've made our peace with weather (with rain, not with snow)
So we take pride in saying, though it may cause some pain:
In Southeast Alaska, bring on the rain.
This is Southeast Alaska- BRING ON THE RAIN.

When you are geographically located this far north with mountainous terrain and practically surrounded by ocean you get a lot of rain (upwards of 90 inches a year, PLUS 105 inches of snow.) Winter can arrive most any time. I've seen snow fall on the mountain tops in July, finishing up the old year and new snow fall in September.

On the other hand I've seen the Northern Lights in every month but June and July (the sky is just too light in those months).