Washington is certainly cooler than Florida, but from what I remember, Florida was MUCH wetter the months I was there. Apparently I was there during a freak year however. It was unusually cold in Orlando where I went for Women Recruit training from the beginning of November to just before Christmas. Our company commander taught us the insulation value of wearing several pair of panty hose at one time when mud puddles froze solid and we were marching outdoors in skirts. It snowed lightly once when I was in Pensacola for Photo school, and it was comical to see people trying to drive who had probably never seen the stuff before. It lasted long enough for some sailors who gathered up all the snow they could find to build a little snowman. The following March, it seemed to rain record amounts all month, and I got very popular at the Photo school, because according to uniform regulations, women could carry plain black umbrellas while in uniform, but enlisted men couldn't. It said nothing about the men walking UNDER an umbrella however. My partner in the class had a huge black golf umbrella that he would hand me when it was raining, and there were room for a couple of my classmates underneath if I held it up.
The Cascade range makes a barrier going North to South and splits Washington into two climate zones. Dense, green forests (where there aren't cities and houses) on the west side, where the moisture blows in from the Pacific Ocean and gives us ample rain, and cool summers, and dry and hot on the east side of the mountains. Early in the 20th century, huge federal engineering projects built dams on several rivers and brought irrigation to fields and low cost electricity to the region. Can you tell I am very fond of my "Evergreen State"?
Don't despair if your job and your rewards are few, remember that the mighty oak was once a nut like you!