And some of the lakes in E. WA get so warm it feels like a bathtub on a 90°-100° day. I bet Phil hasn't ever had a lake closed either because it got so overgrown with algae because the water temp is so warm. Granted it's the shallower lakes compared to Lake Sammamish. https://www.nwtoxicalgae.org/Data.aspx Now the Columbia River is cold any time of the year!

Not a snow fan personally. My absolute ideal climates are those that are rainy and warm year-round or most of year (Koppen Am and Af). But if a climate should have a winter, preferably it should be dryish. So Koppen Cwa (or Cfa but with some winter drought) is the best climate with seasons for me.

Snowy cold winter, endlessly stormy and foggy fall/spring, hot dry summer for me... But in moderation. PNW works perfectly for me, though I would appreciate a little more snow guarantee per winter.

My favorite summer weather is warm, cloudy and rainy. Dry winter, wet summer climates are the best!

The top layer can easily be at least 10-20 feet. So perfectly good for swimming. Still a bit chilly most of the time, but warm enough to work.