Amount of Sunshine in Fayetteville (Lake City, Portland: how much, law school, university)

[SunshineSeeker99]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

I've lived in Oregon for 35 years. I can no longer handle the 7-8 months a year of overcast, dreary, rainy weather for a number of reasons and plan to relocate somewhere with much sunnier weather. Fayetteville, AR is on the list of cities I'm considering. After searching this forum under weather, climate and sunshine I haven't found any discussions about the amount of sun Fayetteville receives.

I love the fact that Fayetteville has 4 true seasons and found that, on average it has about 97 days of precipitation a year, which sounds bearable compared to here. Even though Fayetteville gets a lot of rain, in my opinion, I do love the greenery that the rain brings.

My question is how much sunshine, on average, does Fayetteville get annually? When it does rain there is it non-stop for days on end or does it rain for a day or two and then get sunny again? Is it cloudy for many days in a row?

Since Fayetteville is so much farther south than Oregon I'm assuming there is a lot more sunshine but would really like to hear opinions from people that live there in case my assumption is wrong.

Thanks for your help!
SunshineSeeker99

[bjrush]

I see 217 cited from lots of sources

Says national average is 205

Portland, OR says 144 for reference

Good luck with your relocation!

[jim9251]

I lived in Fayetteville for 20 years and in my opinion there's plenty of sunshine all year long. Winters may be somewhat gloomy and lately, snow packed, and expect thunderstorms in the afternoons in April and August, but other than that bright sunshine.

Sure sunnier than Oregon! I don't know how yall keep from growing mold on your toes.

[Snaple4]

Lived in Seattle and loved the weather. Going trail running through the parks is just.... just amazingly beautiful. However, that weather isn't for everybody. Fayetteville certainly does have a Summer, about 2 weeks worth of spring, and either a fall with bits of winter, or a winter with limited fall...

I think this area is wonderful. Outside of our semi-frequent droughts we have a lot of green vegetation. Just be careful with the 100+ temps with high humidity in the summer.

Jim, not sure about mold but they sure do get moss all over the place. Just amazing with the ferns, the tall trees, the... Darn, now I miss the North West...

[SunshineSeeker99]

Thanks for the responses!

I think my brain has started to mold, never mind my toes!

The PNW is beautiful but I can't handle the darkness anymore.

Fayetteville sounds like it may work for me. Now I need to plan a visit to see it in person.

SunshineSeeker99

[jim9251]

Good luck to you. When you visit Fayetteville you'll go ... wow. A couple of my favorite spots in the fall, standing on the mall parking lot just off College Ave looking into Fayetteville, and in front of Ol Main. And of course, Devil's Den State Park. Boston Mountain, on highway 71 which used to be a thriving tourist area until they built the bypass, gives breathtaking views.

[Texrzrbak]

Wow. I was trying to research this exact question when I stumbled across your post. I have lived in Fayetteville often on for several years. I went to school at the University of Arkansas for both undergrad in law school and then worked three years in the area after law school. I just returned to the area after 15 years in the military. I have some perspective on your question because I have lived in San Diego twice, the Washington DC area three times, and on the North Carolina coast once. I grew up in Houston Texas. All those places had more sunlight than Fayetteville does. And there's one thing that seems to occur in Fayetteville that I've never seen anywhere else. Between about December 1 and April 1 a dark gloominess unlike anything I've experienced anywhere else settles onto this area. During that period I suspect that Fayetteville has the fewest days of sunlight compared to almost any other place. And I've heard several other people complain about this. It's like an incessant, dark, gray sky for four months. It was like that when I was in school in the 80s to 90s and it is like that now. So compared to Oregon it's probably more sunny year-round, but prepare yourself for a dark, gray, gloomy four months every year.

[DC at the Ridge]

It's not dark and gray and gloomy for four months every year.

Saturday was sunny and breezy. Sunday was sunny with some clouds. This morning it's cloudy with scattered showers, clearing and sunny in the afternoon. Tomorrow is supposed to be very sunny. And that's typical for this time of year. We are warmer than average, but that kind of makes up for earlier this month when we were colder than average.

[Texrzrbak]

Like I said, if I had to choose between Oregon and Fayetteville, I would choose Fayetteville. San Diego and Fayetteville? Hee hee. Arlington Virginia and Fayetteville? Arlington. Morehead City, NC and Fayetteville? MC. Salt Lake City and Fayetteville? SLC. Anywhere in Texas except El Paso and Fayetteville? Anywhere in Texas except El Paso. Fort Walton Beach, FL and Fayetteville? FWB. I have actually lived outside Arkansas and I know what I am talking about.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by Texrzrbak

Like I said, if I had to choose between Oregon and Fayetteville, I would choose Fayetteville. San Diego and Fayetteville? Hee hee. Arlington Virginia and Fayetteville? Arlington. Morehead City, NC and Fayetteville? MC. Salt Lake City and Fayetteville? SLC. Anywhere in Texas except El Paso and Fayetteville? Anywhere in Texas except El Paso. Fort Walton Beach, FL and Fayetteville? FWB. I have actually lived outside Arkansas and I know what I am talking about.

Most of us, the VAST majority of us who live in Northwest Arkansas, have lived outside Arkansas.