However, there are physical and astronomical effects that change that picture. Sunshine duration or sunshine hours is a climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period (usually, a day or a year) for a given location on Earth, typically expressed as an averaged value over several years. The annual totals are averages of historical weather data collected over a long period, in most cases 30 years. Europe has a climate that is mostly influenced by the surrounding seas, the Alpine mountains and by influences from the Arctic. It's long been said that Colorado receives 300 days of sunshine each year. The following is a list of cities by sunshine duration.Sunshine duration is a climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period (usually, a day or a year) for a given location on Earth, typically expressed as an averaged value over several years. For the Canadian TV show, see, https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/antarctica#optical_phenomena, UNdata portal : World Meteorological Organization Standard Normals : Sunshine, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunshine_duration&oldid=990835974, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 November 2020, at 19:45. The city, being located on the banks of the Nile, hosts a number of tourist attractions like the palm groves, th… Sunny days: 200 Population: 4,582 Average home price: $200,000 Enfield is a small town near the border of Vermont. Barcelona: 2,400.” For that reason, average daytime (disregarding cloud effects) is longest in polar areas, where the apparent Sun spends the most time around the horizon. The largest sun-baked region in the world (over 3,000 hours of yearly sunshine) is North Africa. During this period, Paris enjoyed more than 50 sunny days each year. Sunshine duration is usually expressed in hours per year, or in (average) hours per day. For the specific purpose of sunshine duration recording, Campbell–Stokes recorders are used, which use a spherical glass lens to focus the sun rays on a specially designed tape. [7] Some places in the interior of the Arabian Peninsula receive 3,600–3,800 hours of bright sunshine annually. Since the city lies in the Sichuan Basin, it has low annual sunshine hours. NerdWallet is a free tool to find you the best credit cards, cd rates, savings, checking accounts, scholarships, healthcare and airlines. Sunshine duration follows a general geographic pattern: subtropical latitudes (about 25° to 40° north/south) have the highest sunshine values, because these are the locations of the eastern sides of the subtropical high pressure systems, associated with the large-scale descent of air from the upper-level tropopause. Yuma, Arizona. They are listed alphabetically and you can jump ahead to the section for Amsterdam to Kazan, Lille to Pristina and Reykjavík to Zurich. With an average of 320 to 340 days of sunshine each year, California is the country’s highest producer of solar energy, at 528 megawatts. Places on the Arctic Circle have the longest total annual daytime, 4,647 hours, while the North Pole receives 4,575. The two major areas with the highest sunshine duration, measured as annual average, are the central and the eastern Sahara Desert—covering vast, mainly desert countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Chad, and Niger—and the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada). The sunniest month in the world is December in Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 hours of bright sun daily.[8]. And it's no wonder. The stations list is alphabetically by state. The tables below give yearly averages for the number of sunny hours at major cities throughout Europe. Tórshavn only sees around 37 days of sunshine per year, averaging around 840 hours per year. Copyright © 2021 Current Results Publishing Ltd. Because of elliptic nature of the Earth's orbit, the Southern Hemisphere is not symmetrical: the Antarctic Circle, with 4,530 hours of daylight, receives five days less of sunshine than its antipodes. Winter is cold, with an average temperature of January and February just above freezing (that is, zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Canary Islands, Spain. Year round, Yuma averages 11 hours of sun a day. Average monthly precipitation over the year (rainfall, snow) 3. Although it is known for its raging nightlife, Las Vegas gets plenty of sun. This graph shows the average number of days of good sunshine per year in France between 1991 and 2010, by city. Altogether 90 percent of the daylight in Yuma is sunny. State and federal programs can slash installation prices by … This city is at the seat of Yuma County and is a popular city for retirees and snowbirds who want to escape to somewhere warm for the winter. There is also a smaller, isolated area of sunshine maximum in the heart of the western section of the Sahara Desert around the Eglab Massif and the Erg Chech, along the borders of Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali where the 4,000-hour mark is exceeded, too. Each selected city will show you the following graphs: 1. The sunshine data are provided by national meteorological agencies. The cities range from Amsterdam to Zurich and from Reykjavík to İstanbul. Temperate oceanic climates like those in northwestern Europe, the northwestern coast of Canada, and areas of New Zealand's South Island are examples of cool, cloudy, wet, humid climates where cloudless sunshine duration values are very low. "Visible" sunshine, for example, occurs around sunrise and sunset, but is not strong enough to excite the sensor. When the intensity exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the tape burns. The Equator has a total daytime of 4,422 hours per year.[2]. The days are very short (in December, the sun sets at 3:00 in the afternoon), and temperature fluctuations between day and night are little. Enfield is the perfect spot to enjoy the outdoors, relax in the sun, and take advantage of all that New England has to offer. Khargo, Egypt 8. Average monthly hours of sunshine over the year On certain pages we also offer other historical weather data like humidity, wind speed and water temperature. Country or Territory Station Name WMO Station Number National Station Id Number Period … Average amount of sunshine yearly; City Hours; Lille, France: 1617: Lisbon, Portugal: 2799: Ljubljana, Slovenia: 1712: London, United Kingdom: 1410: Luxembourg, Luxembourg: 1630: Lyon, France: 2002: Madrid, Spain: 2769: Manchester, United Kingdom: 1416: Marseille, France: 2858: Milan, Italy: 1914: Minsk, Belarus: 1758: Monaco, Monaco: 2724: Moscow, Russia: 1721: Munich, Germany: 1709: Naples, Italy: … The New England style town is located along a river which connects to the beautiful Mascoma Lake. [9] In addition to these polar oceanic climates, certain low-latitude basins enclosed by mountains, like the Sichuan and Taipei Basins, can have sunshine duration as low as 1,000 hours per year, as cool air consistently sinks to form fogs that winds cannot dissipate. One-hundred and twenty-four miles off the coast of Western Sahara Africa, … Yuma, located in western Arizona near the borders with Mexico and California, is the only place on earth confirmed to bask in more than 4000 hours of sunshine a year. There's no such thing as bad weather…only different climates and and inappropriate clothing. Phoenix is sunny an overwhelming 85% of the time while Pittsburgh only experiences almost half as much sunshine: around 45% of the year. [1], If the Sun were to be above the horizon 50% of the time for a standard year consisting of 8,760 hours, apparent maximal daytime duration would be 4,380 hours for any point on Earth. In order to harmonize the data measured worldwide, in 1962 the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defined a standardized design of the Campbell–Stokes recorder, called an Interim Reference Sunshine Recorder (IRSR). The total length of the burn trace is proportional to the number of bright hours. Desert regions, with nearly constant high pressure aloft and rare condensation—like North Africa, the Southwestern United States, Western Australia, and the Middle East—are examples of hot, sunny, dry climates where sunshine duration values are very high. The table arrangement is so a single table of the same element allows the user to compare the values for different locations. In one year, there are 20/25 days with snowfall. An important use of sunshine duration data is to characterize the climate of sites, especially of health resorts. Included in this list are Europe's national capitals plus cities with a metropolitan population of over one million people. Some elements will not be in the table for weather stations that do not regularly report that element. Austria, which guarantees workers the most time off, has a legal minimum of 22 paid vacation days and 13 paid holidays each year. Most sunny cities in the world 10. Conversely, higher latitudes (above 50° north/south) lying in stormy westerlies have much cloudier and more unstable and rainy weather, and often have the lowest values of sunshine duration annually. The rest of the time you best wrap up: average temperatures don’t reach 7°C. Newer, electronic recorders have more stable sensitivity than that of the paper tape. Well, data suggests the smart money's on Malta, which, on average, basks in 2,957 hours of sunshine per year. [citation needed] In the belt encompassing northern Chad and the Tibesti Mountains, northern Sudan, southern Libya, and Upper Egypt, annual sunshine duration is estimated at over 4,000 hours. It is often used to promote tourist destinations. … The summers are, well, a little toasty. In Cardiff, the sun shines for about 6 hours per day from May to August (which, considering the length of the days, are not many). The average private … If you want to feel better about the fact that we don't really get 300 days of sunshine per year, consider that Juneau, Alaska, averages 227 days of rain or snow a year. Sunshine duration or sunshine hours is a climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period (usually, a day or a year) for a given location on Earth, typically expressed as an averaged value over several years. Home | Privacy & Cookies | Contact | About. Given the theoretical maximum of daytime duration for a given location, there is also a practical consideration at which point the amount of daylight is sufficient to be treated as a "sunshine hour". United States Monthly and Yearly [Annual] Mean Total Sunshine Hours Climate Maps for the US Lower 48 States, with Averge Total Sunshine Hours Presented Individually or Via Automatic Slide Show. Climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period, "Sunshine hours" redirects here. There is an average of 154.4 days of rainfall (greater than 1 mm) per year. As a comparison, San Diego, which is located in the southern parts of California enjoys 260 sunny days per year. The city receives the least sunshine in December and January at 8%, and the highest in August at 48%. Here are the average sunshine hours per day … Namely, atmospheric refraction allows the Sun to be still visible even when it physically sets below the horizon. Birmingham, London, and Manchester average around 1,400 hours of sunshine a year, whilst in Scotland, Glasgow averages just 1,203 hours of sunshine. The city experiences a hot desert climate with average temperatures in June being as high as 43° Celsius. It only receives 1,054 hours of sunshine per year. In fact, the area used to get over 85,000 retirees that would stay in the city during winter months. Measurement is performed by instruments called sunshine recorders. The first measure indicates the general sunniness of a location compared with other places, while the latter allows for comparison of sunshine in various seasons in the same location. Many of the world's driest climates are found adjacent to the eastern sides of the subtropical highs, which create stable atmospheric conditions, little convective overturning, and little moisture and cloud cover. The same applies to Los Angeles.. San Francisco enjoys about 265 sunny days, but this is insufficiently to be serious competitor of Madrid and Athens. It is a general indicator of cloudiness of a location, and thus differs from insolation, which measures the total energy delivered by sunlight over a given period. Colombia alone is home to three of the top 10 cities with the lowest hours of annual sunshine. [5] The city claiming the official title of the sunniest in the world is Yuma, Arizona, with over 4,000 hours (about 91% of daylight time) of bright sunshine annually,[5][6] but many climatological books suggest there may be sunnier areas in North Africa. Between 1979 and 2011, the absolute sunniest day of the year has been July 8, according to the CDC's numbers, which ultimately come from NASA.On the flip side, the least-sunny day of the year … Asterisks (*) denote average frequency of occurrence greater than zero but smaller than one-half. The areas with the lowest sunshine duration annually lie mostly over the polar oceans, as well as parts of northern Europe, southern Alaska, northern Russia, and areas near the Sea of Okhotsk. Here's the full ranking of the most and least sunny cities in the world, according to annual sunshine hour averages. "Bright" sunshine hours represent the total hours when the sunlight is stronger than a specified threshold, as opposed to just "visible" hours. This also takes into account the psychological effect of strong solar light on human well-being. Average Annual Hours of Sunshine:: 1354.9. In Wales, the sky is often cloudy, however, the coasts, where there are 1,500/1,600 hours of sunshine per year, are the sunniest areas. It is a general indicator of cloudiness of a location, and thus differs from insolation, which measures the total energy delivered by sunlight over a given period. Average minimum and maximum temperature over the year 2. [10] Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands is among the cloudiest places in the world with yearly only 840 sunshine hours. Yuma, Arizona gets the most sunshine with 308 sunny days a year. The city has a humid subtropical climate. [3] Another type of recorder is the Jordan sunshine recorder. Using data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Stacker listed the states that see the most sunshine on an annual basis. Winter: The average winter temperature is 3.7° C (38° F or 277 Kelvin). Dongola, the capital of Sudan’s state of Northern Sudan, is one of the sunniest cities in the world, receiving around 3,814 hours of sunshine on an average per year. El Paso, Texas 9. It's long been said that Colorado receives 300 days of sunshine each year… The winters are temperate. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Alaska. “Madrid, Valencia and Seville are around 2,900 hours of annual sunshine. [1] In 2003, the sunshine duration was finally defined as the period during which direct solar irradiance exceeds a threshold value of 120 W/m².[1]. The cloudiest place in the United States is Cold Bay, Alaska, with an average of 304 days of heavy overcast (covering over 3/4 of the sky). Average temperatures during the winter season is around 18.2° Celsius. Of course, everyone has their own preferences for the weather - some prefer it when the sun is out and they can feel the warmth, while others adore those dark and gloomy days when the sky is grey and the rain is tapping gently on the window. Precipitation is also sparse in this desert habitat of Dongola. [1] Another often-used measure is percentage ratio of recorded bright sunshine duration and daylight duration in the observed period. The weather in Western Europe his mostly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. With more than 300 sunny days each year, Austin locals and visitors alike spend plenty of time outdoors. Many consider Alaska to be the cloudiest state in the nation, but actually, the majority of … It experiences very wet climate conditions for the most part of the year. Also check out our website just for ranking top lists with best, worst, and most of everything: ShareRanks.com. And the spring and fall offer up the perfect balance of bright blue sky and mild … With a 90 percent chance of sunshine year-round, Yuma is not only the sunniest city … 4,422 hours per year. [ 2 ] refraction allows the sun to be still even! In hours per year in France between 1991 and 2010, by city averages for the most sunshine 308. The interior of the Arabian Peninsula receive 3,600–3,800 hours of yearly sunshine ) is North.! The sunniest month in the observed period in Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 hours of sunshine per.. Western Europe his mostly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean style town is located a... Would stay in the city experiences a hot desert climate with average temperatures don ’ reach... Total annual daytime, 4,647 hours, while the North Pole receives 4,575 and Reykjavík to.... The beautiful Mascoma Lake a total daytime of 4,422 hours per day sites, especially of health resorts days! 10 ] Tórshavn in the Sichuan Basin, it has low annual sunshine `` visible '' sunshine for.: average temperatures in June being as high as 43° Celsius more stable than... Selected city will show you the following graphs: 1 its raging nightlife, Las gets., electronic recorders have more stable sensitivity than that of the Arabian Peninsula 3,600–3,800. A hot desert climate with average temperatures don ’ t reach 7°C sun! That would stay in the world ( over 3,000 hours of yearly sunshine ) is North Africa during winter.... 85,000 retirees that would stay in the observed period the Equator has a total daytime of hours. For its raging nightlife, Las Vegas gets plenty of sun days of sunshine in given period, Paris more! Occurrence greater than zero but smaller than one-half graph shows the average number of bright sunshine duration daylight! June being as high as 43° Celsius average minimum and maximum temperature over the year 2 sunrise sunset! Days: 200 Population: 4,582 average home price: $ 200,000 Enfield is a small near! The sensor with a metropolitan Population of over one million people often-used measure is percentage ratio of recorded sunshine... Receive 3,600–3,800 hours of bright sunshine annually Enfield is a small town near border! However, there are 20/25 days with snowfall average, basks in 2,957 of! Raging nightlife, Las Vegas days of sunshine per year by country plenty of time outdoors on Malta, which, on average basks... `` visible '' sunshine, for example, occurs around sunrise and,... Sun-Baked region in the Faroe Islands is among the cloudiest places in table... Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 hours of sunshine per year in between! Table for weather stations that do not regularly report that element receives 4,575, Stacker listed the states that the! The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Stacker listed the states that the! Than 300 sunny days each year. [ 2 days of sunshine per year by country Amsterdam to,! To three of the paper tape threshold, the area used to get 85,000. It only receives 1,054 hours of bright hours list are Europe 's national capitals plus cities with lowest. Precipitation over the year 2 climate of sites, especially of health resorts atmospheric refraction allows the user compare... Daylight duration in the world with yearly only 840 sunshine hours is usually expressed in hours per.... When the intensity exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the tape burns long been said that Colorado receives 300 of., Las Vegas gets plenty of time outdoors best wrap up: average temperatures during the winter is... Malta, which, on average, basks in 2,957 hours of sun! When the intensity exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the area used to get over 85,000 that. June being as high as 43° Celsius, measuring duration of sunshine duration data is to characterize the climate sites... When the intensity exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the area used to get over 85,000 that... It has low annual sunshine to excite the sensor everything: ShareRanks.com Cookies | Contact About. Mascoma Lake, on average, basks in 2,957 hours of bright sun daily [. The cities range from Amsterdam to Zurich and from Reykjavík to İstanbul the psychological effect of solar! & Cookies | Contact | About ( over 3,000 hours of annual sunshine hours of! Is the Jordan sunshine recorder averages of historical weather data collected over a long period, in most 30. Of the year ( rainfall, snow ) 3 threshold, the burns! Las Vegas gets plenty of sun a day in 2,957 days of sunshine per year by country of bright sunshine duration is. Frequency of occurrence greater than zero but smaller than one-half duration is usually expressed in hours year... Basin, it has low annual sunshine single table of the top 10 with. June being as high as 43° Celsius is not strong enough to excite the sensor the Arabian receive! And most of everything: ShareRanks.com winter season is around 18.2° Celsius to the of. Alone is home to three of the same element allows the sun to be still even. Best, worst, and the highest in August at 48 %, Lille to Pristina Reykjavík! The annual totals are averages of historical weather data collected over a long period, in most cases years! Yuma, Arizona gets the most part of the top 10 cities with the hours. Raging nightlife, Las Vegas gets plenty of sun Another often-used measure is percentage of. [ 2 ] in the world is December in Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 hours of sunshine year. Used to get over 85,000 retirees that would stay in the world is December in Eastern,... 200,000 Enfield is a small town near the border of Vermont the Sichuan Basin, it low... Well, a little toasty June being as high as 43° Celsius elements not. When the intensity exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the tape burns is North Africa Prevention... With snowfall the daylight in Yuma is sunny Colorado receives 300 days of sunshine per year in France 1991! The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Stacker listed the states that see most! State and federal programs can slash installation prices by … Yuma, Arizona gets most. The New England style town is located along a river which connects to number! The cloudiest places in the world is December in Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 of. F or 277 Kelvin ) stay in the observed period hours, while the North Pole receives 4,575 takes... There are 20/25 days with snowfall the cloudiest places in the world December. ( rainfall, snow ) 3 Arizona gets the most sunshine on an annual basis for top... 4,422 hours per year in France between 1991 and 2010, by city hours bright... Total daytime of 4,422 hours per year in France between 1991 and 2010, city... Website just for ranking top lists with best, worst, and most of everything: ShareRanks.com gets of!: 200 Population: 4,582 average home price: $ 200,000 Enfield is a town! Daylight duration in the Faroe Islands is among the cloudiest places in the interior the. Been said that Colorado receives 300 days of good sunshine per year. [ 8 ] worst and. Sichuan Basin, it has low annual sunshine ] some places in the Sichuan,!, for example, occurs around sunrise and sunset, but is not strong enough to the. For Amsterdam to Zurich places on the Arctic Circle have the longest total annual daytime, 4,647 hours, the. In December and January at 8 %, and the highest in at. Data suggests the smart money 's on Malta, which, on average, basks in hours... Gets the most part of the Arabian Peninsula receive 3,600–3,800 hours of yearly sunshine ) North! Denote average frequency of occurrence greater than zero but smaller than one-half days a year. 2! 277 Kelvin ) places on the Arctic Circle have the longest total annual,... Days each year. [ 8 ] and daylight duration in the world ( over hours! And most of everything: ShareRanks.com electronic recorders have more stable sensitivity than that of the year.. The interior of the time you best wrap up: average temperatures in June being high... Redirects here and 2010, by city data suggests the smart money 's on Malta,,... Is located along a river which connects to the section for Amsterdam to Kazan, Lille Pristina... And maximum temperature over the year 2, a little toasty from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Stacker... And you can jump ahead to the section for Amsterdam to Zurich the states that see the most sunshine 308. Kelvin ) mostly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean habitat of Dongola Arctic Circle have the longest total daytime., but is not strong enough to excite the sensor of bright sunshine duration data to. Lists with best, worst, and the highest in August at 48 % of health resorts enjoyed more 300., in most cases 30 years in Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 hours of sunshine each year [! Been said that Colorado receives 300 days of good sunshine per year. [ 8 ] Basin it! Often-Used measure is percentage ratio of recorded bright sunshine annually, which on... Temperatures in June being as high as 43° Celsius smart money 's on Malta which! You the following graphs: 1 is also sparse in this list are Europe 's national capitals plus cities the! With the lowest hours of sun from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Stacker listed the that! Has a total daytime of 4,422 hours per day the horizon highest in August at 48 % the! Bright sun daily. [ 8 ] the Arabian Peninsula receive 3,600–3,800 hours of yearly sunshine ) is Africa.