Percent of days that are sunny

1. Arizona = 81
2. New Mexico = 76
3. Hawaii = 74
4. California
5. Nevada
6. Colorado
6. Texas
8. Florida
9. Oklahoma
9. Wyoming
11. Kansas
11. Utah
13. Alabama
13. Arkansas
13. Louisiana
13. South Carolina
17. Georgia
17. Mississippi
17. Nebraska
17. North Carolina
21. Idaho
21. Maryland
21. Tennessee
24. Missouri
24. South Dakota
24. Virginia = 57
27. New Jersey = 56
28. Delaware = 55
28. District of Columbia
28. Iowa
28. Maine
28. Massachusetts
28. New Hampshire
28. North Dakota
28. Rhode Island
36. Illinois
36. Kentucky
38. Connecticut
38. Minnesota
38. New York
38. Wisconsin
42. Indiana
42. Montana
44. Pennsylvania
45. West Virginia
46. Ohio
47. Michigan
48. Vermont
49. Washington = 43
50. Oregon = 39
51. Alaska = 23

So Arizona should be the Sunshine State, not Florida

^ No, Arizona is officially the "It's a Dry Heat State"

How do they even calculate this list? Some U.S. states are large & have different climates. For example Palm Springs & Crecent City have totally different climates & % of sunny days. I doubt Washington is that low because almost half the state is a freaking desert.

The Tri-Cities in Eastern Washington get over 300 sunny days a year & less than 10 inches of rain. Sequim in Western Washington on the Olympic Peninsula also has over 300 sunny days a year & less than 15 inches of rain, while Forks in the same county has over 230 cloudy days & over 130 inches of rain.

http://www.ocs.orst.edu/pub/maps/Precipitation/Total/States/WA/wa.gif

Florida is a sunshine state, but the rain and hurricane makes Florida not #1,

like Iowa having more sun than IL, when Southern IL is as south as Witcha Kansas. Isn't bogus that South Dakota is ranked 24, when its northerner than many other states in the south.

i hate rain

Iowa having more sun than IL, when Southern IL is as south as Witcha Kansas. Isn't bogus that South Dakota is ranked 24, when its northerner than many other states in the south.

Latitude has nothing to do with how many sunny days a place can receive.

do you mean longatitude? (the ones parrallel the equator.)

hmmmmm. colorado is more sunnier than texas and florida? denver was pretty sunny when i visited because of its elevation, but not year round.

Florida is the Sunshine State!!!!!! :D

(even if the statistics don't put it #1)

From what it looks like, it's calculated in this way:

1. Cities record what percent of each day--from sunrise to sunset--is sunny. "Sunny" is defined as "clear sky conditions".
2. The cities in each state average their results to make a state figure.

The rankings cover a few years of data, so they're probably pretty accurate.

Here (http://met-www.cit.cornell.edu/ccd/pctpos98.html)'s a sample of how it's done, from 1998.

do you mean longatitude? (the ones parrallel the equator.)

No, latitude. Longitudinal lines run perpendicular to the equator.

From what it looks like, it's calculated in this way:

1. Cities record what percent of each day--from sunrise to sunset--is sunny. "Sunny" is defined as "clear sky conditions".
2. The cities in each state average their results to make a state figure.

The rankings cover a few years of data, so they're probably pretty accurate.

Here (http://met-www.cit.cornell.edu/ccd/pctpos98.html)'s a sample of how it's done, from 1998.


What crap. Not enough cities are included & the spatial distribution has no basis to it. The mostly unihabited rainiest place in the lower 48 is included in Washington's total, along with Seattle twice, & Spokane. How does that tell us anything? The whole entire dry part of the state is ignored.

What crap. Not enough cities are included & the spatial distribution has no basis to it. The mostly unihabited rainiest place in the lower 48 is included in Washington's total, along with Seattle twice, & Spokane. How does that tell us anything? The whole entire dry part of the state is ignored.

Why do sparsely inhabited places even need to be included?

^ Don't ask me, you linked the list of weather stations. Washington had the four weather stations I mentioned above. The list is total garbage since the data input is worthless. Seattle gets counted twice, the rainforest once, & Spokane once while the whole rest of the state (including all of the sunny parts), where over 5,000,000 people live is ignored. Like I said above, no way Washington is one of the cloudiest states in the country since almost half the state is a sunny desert.

hmmmmm. colorado is more sunnier than texas and florida? denver was pretty sunny when i visited because of its elevation, but not year round.

actually no, Colordo have the same exact rank as Texas.

^ Don't ask me, you linked the list of weather stations. Washington had the four weather stations I mentioned above. The list is total garbage since the data input is worthless. Seattle gets counted twice, the rainforest once, & Spokane once while the whole rest of the state (including all of the sunny parts), where over 5,000,000 people live is ignored. Like I said above, no way Washington is one of the cloudiest states in the country since almost half the state is a sunny desert.


i take it you don't like your state's reputation as a rainy, cloudy haven. This list confirms what many assumed Washington to be. Rainy and cloudy, I don't see where the problem is. Can you prove that they ignored 5 million people? And if you can, you must be one of them.

i take it you don't like your state's reputation as a rainy, cloudy haven.

Because in many places it isn't.

This list confirms what many assumed Washington to be.

This list is crap. I just shot down its validity above.

Can you prove that they ignored 5 million people?

Click the link & you will see the 4 weather stations used: the rainforest, Seattle twice, & Spokane. Hardly an adequate or fair sample.

I would have thought Florida would be farther down the list. Yes its nice and sunny all winter but (especially in South Florida) it rains just about everyday in the summer. But i guess since it is sunny all morning before the rain starts in the afternoon, those would probably count as "Sunny Days".

Since only select cities' "sunnyness" is averaged into the state total, the title "sunniest states" is misleading. But the select areas are also the most populous ones, so knowing how sunny those are gives you a good idea of what types of conditions most people in each state live under.

Texasboy said:

"hmmmmm. colorado is more sunnier than texas and florida? denver was pretty sunny when i visited because of its elevation, but not year round."

Yes, Colorado is one of the sunniest states in the US. Denver gets more sunny days in a year than San Diego and Miami! It is not always 85 degrees, but almost always sunny! 70 degrees quite often this winter, and 90's already in May!

^ Global warming, you have to love it.

Keep in mind with Denver: -10 degrees and sunny is still sunny, while it is 90 degrees and Raining in Miami, therefor Denver has more "sunny" days.

That is the highest I have ever seen Kansas on any list.

"Keep in mind with Denver: -10 degrees and sunny is still sunny, while it is 90 degrees and Raining in Miami, therefor Denver has more "sunny" days."

Never been here I see!!!! -10??????? once a year maybe. This is not the midwest! And a sunny day is a sunny day!

eastern colorado is also in the rain shadow, isn't it? that might account for many sunny days.

They should make it mandatory to build solar panels on top of all roofs in AZ & NM. Imagine the energy problems it would solve! There would be plenty of spare juice for other states.

Why those states? Colorado is Higher up than either of them!

But the select areas are also the most populous ones,

Wrong. 1 of the 4 Washington locations is virtually uninhabited & nowhere near a significant population center (it is also the rainiest place in the lower 48; cloud city! Talk about skewing data...). Two other sites (50% of the remaining locations!) are redundant. 5,000,000 people of the state are totally left out. This list is crap.

so knowing how sunny those are gives you a good idea of what types of conditions most people in each state live under.

This list has zero creditability; it is pure garbage for reasons I pointed out. Quit peddling it as something otherwise.

Gota love Florida!

I figured it was AZ. Phoenix bills itself as having over 300 days of sunshine a year ~82%.

hmmmmm. colorado is more sunnier than texas and florida? denver was pretty sunny when i visited because of its elevation, but not year round.

Matter fact Texasboy, i'm afraid you're wrong. Denver boasts aproximately 300 days of sunshine a year. Many people think my state isn't sunny because Colorado's usually associated with snow and mountains, but living here, you'll find that it is sunny here but in the winter, it trips me out how it can be nice and sunny and then you go outside and it is freezing cold.

Our percentage of clear days in Oklahoma, has really helped us attract the aviation industry.

Arizona is the hell in earth

Texasboy said:

"hmmmmm. colorado is more sunnier than texas and florida? denver was pretty sunny when i visited because of its elevation, but not year round."

Yes, Colorado is one of the sunniest states in the US. Denver gets more sunny days in a year than San Diego and Miami! It is not always 85 degrees, but almost always sunny! 70 degrees quite often this winter, and 90's already in May!hmm I doubt it, even in winter we get sunny days.

It can rain in Florida and still be sunny....hell once it was raining it my front yard but not in my backyard :weird:

Arizona is the hell in earth

Thank you for that terrific, informed comment. And thanks again for reviving The World's Oldest Thread. :ohno:

i hate rain

People praying for rain in Edmonton :)

So is this not considered a sunny day, since there are some clouds in the sky?;)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3885299434_36c1f7d325_o.jpg

Wow, if you're going to bump a thread this old you better have a very insightful and worthwhile comment. Franek SD... you're special. :)

But thanks for reminding me how depressing WI winters are! haha

Hudkina, your pic would be considered partly cloudy.

This is a sunny day: ;)

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9492/p1040279.jpg (http://img406.imageshack.us/i/p1040279.jpg/)

I wonder how the percentages would change if they counted partly cloudy days. The only days that are especially dreary to me are the completely overcast days. As long as one can see the sun for a good amount of the day, I don't think it really matters.

is that last pic in minni? if it is, im pretty surprised!

edit: pleasantly surprised

is that last pic in minni? if it is, im pretty surprised!

edit: pleasantly surprised

Yeah, that's, uh, south Minneapolis. I took it a few months ago. :lol:

Yeah those harsh Minneapolis winters are no match for those Palms...

LOL Thank you Al Gore and global warming!

hey MD isn't doing too shabby:banana:

Here are annual average sunshine hours for US cities...


http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/1323/sunshinehoursamericanci.jpg

Yeah, that's, uh, south Minneapolis. I took it a few months ago. :lol:

I had no idea Minneapolis looked so much like Southern California. :nuts:

I had no idea Minneapolis looked so much like Southern California. :nuts:

Well, that's not really Minneapolis, but it's not Southern California either. It's Northern California, Sacramento specifically.