Sunniest/Cloudiest Major US Cities

[MCC]

Ranked by percentage of possible sunshine the city receives each year, in descending order.

1. Phoenix, AZ - 85
---Las Vegas, NV
2. Sacramento, CA - 78
3. Los Angeles, CA - 73
4. Honolulu, HI - 71
5. Miami, FL - 70
6. Denver, CO - 69
7. San Diego, CA - 68
---Oklahoma City, OK
8. San Francisco, CA - 66
---Tampa, FL
---Salt Lake City, UT
9. Memphis, TN - 64
10. Jacksonville, FL - 63
----Richmond, VA
11. Charlotte, NC - 62
----Tulsa, OK
12. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX - 61
13. Atlanta, GA - 60
----Kansas City, MO
----Austin, TX
----San Antonio, TX
----Norfolk, VA
14. Houston, TX - 59
15. Boston, MA -58
----New York, NY
----Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
----Providence, RI
----Raleigh, NC
16. New Orleans, LA - 57
----Baltimore, MD
----Birmingham, AL
----St. Louis, MO
17. Washington, D.C. - 56
----Louisville, KY
----Hartford, CT
----Philadelphia, PA
----Nashville, TN
18. Indianapolis, IN - 55
19. Chicago, IL - 54
----Milwaukee, WI
20. Detroit, MI - 53
21. Cincinnati, OH - 50
----Columbus, OH
22. Portland, OR - 48
----Buffalo, NY
23. Pittsburgh, PA - 45
24. Seattle, WA - 43

Source: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/...ccd/pctpos.txt

[mhays]

No wonder I love Seattle. I even moved my desk at work to avoid a skylight.

[Sabretooth]

Perhaps this list should be broken up by season. Buffalo for instance generally has very sunny summers but cloudy winters, as I'm sure several other places do - you don't get that from a composite list such as this.

Though when it is sunny here this time of year (as it was yesterday), it's a pain in the tokus when I'm at work. I may need to follow mhays' lead and move my desk as well. Too much glare.

[The anti-cheesehead]

Interesting list.

I wonder if skin cancer cases would increase for cities at the top of this list and health issues associated with vitamin D deficiency and mental issues due to lack of sun would increase for cities at the bottom?

For me, the more sunlight the better. I feel happier on nice sunny days.

[MCC]

I could break the list up by season, but I think there would be less variation in the data since most cities are sunnier in the summer, so I'm going with the composite figure for distribution purposes.

The monthly percentages for each city are spot on, December is the cloudiest month in my city and I can't remember the last time it was clear and sunny.

[hudkina]

I actually think it's better to have cloudy days in colder seasons for the simple fact that more heat is trapped. It seems that some of the coldest days during the winter are the days where the sun is shining.

[Xusein]

Buffalo is very, very cloudy in the winters almost depressingly so, but the summers seem to make up for it.

Coming back to Hartford for the winter break, it's definitely sunnier here.

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by MCC

Ranked by percentage of possible sunshine the city receives each year, in descending order.

1. Phoenix, AZ - 85
---Las Vegas, NV
2. Sacramento, CA - 78
3. Los Angeles, CA - 73
4. Honolulu, HI - 71
5. Miami, FL - 70
6. Denver, CO - 69
7. San Diego, CA - 68
---Oklahoma City, OK
8. San Francisco, CA - 66
---Tampa, FL
---Salt Lake City, UT
9. Memphis, TN - 64
10. Jacksonville, FL - 63
----Richmond, VA
11. Charlotte, NC - 62
----Tulsa, OK
12. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX - 61
13. Atlanta, GA - 60
----Kansas City, MO
----Austin, TX
----San Antonio, TX
----Norfolk, VA
14. Houston, TX - 59
15. Boston, MA -58
----New York, NY
----Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
----Providence, RI
----Raleigh, NC
16. New Orleans, LA - 57
----Baltimore, MD
----Birmingham, AL
----St. Louis, MO
17. Washington, D.C. - 56
----Louisville, KY
----Hartford, CT
----Philadelphia, PA
----Nashville, TN
18. Indianapolis, IN - 55
19. Chicago, IL - 54
----Milwaukee, WI
20. Detroit, MI - 53
21. Cincinnati, OH - 50
----Columbus, OH
22. Portland, OR - 48
----Buffalo, NY
23. Pittsburgh, PA - 45
24. Seattle, WA - 43

Source: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/...ccd/pctpos.txt

Wow, Tucson, El Paso, and Albuquerque must have vanished from too much direct sunlight!

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

Wow, Tucson, El Paso, and Albuquerque must have vanished from too much direct sunlight!

We've been scorched into oblivion, as well.