I used to fly a lot on commercial jets. Once you get above the clouds there is lots of sunshine! It is interesting seeing the clouds from a different perspective especially when there are thunderheads around. Michigan isn’t the cloudiest state but we do make number 7 on the list.
10. Connecticut. With climactic influences from the Great Lakes, Connecticut sees more than its fair share of cloud cover. In places like Hartford, you’ll only get around 82 fully sunny days per year. Bridgeport fares a little better with 99 sunny days each year.
9. Montana. People call this state “Big Sky Country,” not “Clear Sky Country.” Because the Continental Divide runs through the western end of the state, Montana experiences diverse, unpredictable weather. In some spots, like Kalispell or Missoula, you can expect as little as 70 to 75 cloudless days a year.
8. Ohio. Because Ohio sees both arctic air masses out of Canada and tropical air masses from southern regions, this state’s climate is extremely diverse. The northern half of the state also experiences frequent lake-effect snow over the winter. Just south of Lake Erie, you’ll see between 63 and 68 days of sunshine. Central and southern Ohio gets between 72 and 77 clear days per year.
7. Michigan. Many of the cloudiest states share a border with one of the Great Lakes, but Michigan is virtually surrounded by them. As cold winds rush over Lake Superior and Lake Huron during the winter, lots of condensation forms, bringing clouds and tons of lake-effect snow. Because of this and other climate factors, no matter where you live in Michigan, you’re only likely to see between 65 and 75 clear days each year.
6. West Virginia. The Allegheny Mountains that stretch along the border between West Virginia and Virginia are responsible for much of the overcast weather in this state. Because the Alleghenies trap moisture flowing into the state from the north and west, most of the state experiences only 60 to 65 clear days per year. One city – Elkins – only gets 48 clear days a year.
5. Oregon. Oregon’s climate is a product of the Pacific Ocean and the state’s many mountain ranges. As ocean air drifts inland, the mountainous terrain forces those moist air masses to rise higher and higher, forming clouds and dumping rain and snow as they go. Because of this, cities like Astoria, Eugene and Portland see between 50 and 75 sunny days each year. Once you get past those mountain ranges, however, the eastern side of Oregon is actually extremely sunny. Eastern cities like Medford and Burns reporting 120 clear days each year.
4. New York. New York has several climate factors that put it high on the list of cloudy states. The Great Lakes contribute, adding a few snow days each year. This state is also on a collision course with cold air masses coming out of the north and west. In addition, New York lies alongside the St. Lawrence Valley storm track. Cities like Binghamton and Buffalo, only see about 52 to 54 days of sunshine each year.
3. Alaska. Many consider Alaska to be the cloudiest state in the nation, but actually, the majority of Alaska gets just as much sun as the Great Plains. The shore along the Gulf of Alaska, however, is an entirely different story. Juneau, for instance, averages just 44 days of sun per year. Farther up the Gulf, cities like Anchorage and Fairbanks get between 60 and 70 clear days per year.
2. Vermont. Lake Champlain, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Green Mountains are just a few of the factors that account for Vermont’s huge number of overcast days. Winds blow storms in from the northwest in the winter and the southwest in the summer. With a highly active climate, Vermont only sees 58 days of full sunshine each year.
1. Washington. Washington State features a climate that is similar to Oregon’s, but even more extreme. Between the effects of the Pacific Ocean, the Cascades, and more, cities like Olympia receive 52 days of full sun per year. Seattle fares slightly better with 71 days of full sunshine. Like Oregon, the eastern half of the state sees far more sunshine. Places like Yakima get as much as 109 days of full sun each year.
On the other end of the spectrum if you want or need more sunshine these are the places many retirees go. This list shows the cities with the number of clear days in the U.S.
We will see more clouds blocking the sun again today. It will be a day similar to yesterday, but, tada! the sun should break through the clouds tomorrow so break out the sunglasses and rejoice – you may even want to do a happy dance to celebrate…
Forecast for Grand Rapids
7-Day Forecast 42.99°N 85.67°W 16 grrForecast for Kalamazoo
7-Day Forecast 42.31°N 85.67°W 16 kzoForecast for Lansing
7-Day Forecast 42.73°N 84.51°W 1 6 lanForecast Discussion
- Lingering light pcpn today - Trends in short range higher resolution guidance including latest runs of the HRRR and 3km nam suggest that light pcpn will linger for most of the day today with a sfc/upper trough still over our region. Pcpn will fall mainly in the form of flurries/snow grains and some patchy drizzle given that fcst soundings from across our area show an unsaturated dgz. Any freezing drizzle early this morning would be isolated. Sfc temps across our area are in the 32-34 degree range attm with just wet conditions. Temps will remain steady during the early morning hrs and may even bump up a degree or two around daybreak. Given these marginal temps we think any freezing drizzle early this am will be isolated with minimal if any impacts to travel. The light lingering pcpn today will finally come to an end tonight as ridging at the sfc and aloft begins to build in from the nw and drier air advects into the lower levels of the atmosphere. - Fair weather this weekend into early next week - Ridging building in at the sfc/aloft will bring fair wx with partly cloudy skies this weekend into early next week. Temps will avg around 5-10 degrees above normal for this time of year through Tuesday. Temps will finally cool to near normal by Wed/Thur after the passage of a cold front.
Thank God, we still have 3 months of cold and snow coming! Bring it!
NWS Grand Rapids in their afternoon update says:
“Challenging Weekend Cloud Forecast”. Will be interesting to see how it plays out and how much sun we receive.
Zero cold as far as the eye can see!!! Wow to the Wow!!!
ROCKIN!!
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/b523690bfd952b86fef3627c919dd9855281a8da16b83c10bdd381c64ae12cbc
Check out that blowtorch Mookie!!!
Woah they brought out my favorite color of red!
+100000!! Who Knew?!??
Ya, we have tons of cold and snow potential coming!
And we have at least 3 more months of snow potential coming! Could be a record setter! Wow to the wow!
So far, GR has seen a whopping 67.6 inches of
snow! This is well over 100% more than normal! Wow to the Wow!!! Incredible start to the winter season! We may see well over 90 inches of snow this year!!!!!!! Rock n roll will live forever!
And you had 3 bitterly cold and windy days to enjoy most of it before it melted.
Yay? It’s been a horrible year for winter sports.
No question it has been a year of lake effect snow and really nothing synoptic. The best place to be in West Michigan for snow so far this winter is the Grand Rapids area. With the warmer temps we have right now that will keep the lake waters warm and if we get any more big pushes of arctic air along with other factors Lake MI is still open for business for significant lake effect somewhere in west MI.
Bring it and let’s see the polar vortex with the warm lake! Could be a wild ride!
So far, Lansing is +13.3 degrees above average in January and Detroit is +15.1 degrees above average.
These are numbers that are normal for late March.
WOOD says this morning, “An unseasonably warm January weather pattern is emerging.”
Emerging? We’ve been talking about it for weeks now on here.
Actually, many parts of Michigan are much sunnier. Like Lansing and Detroit and parts of the western UP.
I posted this yesterday but I think it is worth posting it again today.
Not much ice on any of the Great Lakes as only 3.5% of the lakes are ice covered and that is in the west end of Lake Erie and in the protected bay of Huron and Michigan. In fact it looks like the surface temperatures on Lake Michigan are mostly in the low 40’s yet.
https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/ice.h
Slim
Fantastic news and bring on the polar vortex! Rock n roll will never die!
There’s not much ice on lower peninsula inland lakes either. All my ice fishing buddies are threatening to move to Wisconsin after several years of poor ice fishing conditions. Haha.
Great post MV I like Mark was surprised that Michigan came in at number 7.
Slim
Good morning! Yes, it did snow here in Grand Rapids yesterday. And for a while there was a trace of snow on the ground in MBY but that snow is now all melted. The official H/L at Grand Rapids yesterday was 36/33 there was 0.09” of precipitation of that a trace was snow fall. There was no reported sunshine but there was a thin spot to the SW here at my house just before sunset. The temperature held around 33 for much of the overnight and at this current time it is 34 and cloudy. For today the average H/L… Read more »
Nice post. I’m surprised to learn that there are six cloudier states than Michigan. Well, I can scratch off a few more states off of my list of retirement locations.
And that information makes it more reasonable that Grand Rapids may only have had around 60 clear days last year.
Slim
I thought last year was extremely cloudy here in Grand Rapids. My brothers in East Lansing always tell me how much sunnier it is over there… I guess they weren’t lying
Of course this is reasonable and this is actual factual data, unlike the BS that mookie posts about not believing the GR NWS!