Pittsburgh Sunshine (Progress, California, Denver: houses, employment, school)

[fleetiebelle]

And in many places in the south, you're stuck inside all summer because it's too hot and miserable to be outside, regardless of the amount of sunshine.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

Not really.

I know probably 50 people who moved South in recent years.

Every one moved because they have elderly relative(s) down there, or they hated the snow, hated cold weather, or wanted to golf every day.

Not a one mentioned lack of sunshine here / more sunshine there..

"Warmer weather and sunshine" go hand-and-hand, that's pretty much a 'given'!

[Pitt Chick]

You missed the point....
but I won't bother explaining, as you have disagreed with me before.

[fromaway123]

LESS SOLAR INCIDENCE THAN PGH 26451ANCHORAGE, AK 41 25309JUNEAU, AK 30 26617NOME, AK 42 21504HILO, HI 41 14755MT. WASHINGTON, NH 33 61705PAGO PAGO, AMER SAMOA, PC 43 40504POHNPEI, CAROLINE IS., PC 41 94240QUILLAYUTE, WA 33 24281SEATTLE C.O., WA 43 13729ELKINS, WV 40 Mainly I draw from this that WV and Pgh have about the same weather as they should given air mass movements that typically occur from the Gulf and also those from W to E. Gulf-borne systems bearing moisture swing E as they move N. Many systems rise and/or stall due to the small mtns and ridges that run roughly N to S with an E bend in the mid Appalachians. LOCALES THAT HAVE LESS SOLAR INCIDENCE THAN PGH WHEN OBVIOUS NONCOMPARABLES ARE CULLED ANCHORAGE HAS AN OCEANIC FIORD SYSTEM. JUNEAU IS PROXIMAL TO THE TONGASS RAIN FOREST. HILO HAS OCEANIC CIRCULATIONS & VULCANISM SAMOA & CARLOLINE —FIGURE THAT OUT YOURSELF. MT WASHINGTON IS AN EXTREME WEATHER MAKER DUE TO HIGH ELEVATION IN PROXIMITY TO COASTAL LOW PRESSURE ZONES THAT CIRCULATE AIR INLAND (e.g. NORTH EASTERS). 26617NOME, AK 42 94240QUILLAYUTE, WA 33 24281SEATTLE C.O., WA 43 13729ELKINS, WV 40 EAST OF MISSISSIPPI WELL KNOWN METROS MILWAUKEE 54 (33) BUFFALO 48 (11) CHICAGO 54 (33) BALTO 57 (44) BOSTON 58 (47) PHILLIE 56 (40) DC 56 (40) MIAMI 70 (91) ATLANTA 60 (55) The above have roughly two weeks to two months more sun than Pgh, PA as denoted in () where the units in () are days computed as (X - 45) 3.65. In all, when % are compared, one needs the basis to be clear. For example, a 1% difference may seem small, but not if the comparative basis is Bill Gate's salary. Here the basis is 365 days/year, and a 2% difference equates to a week of sunshine, which is the duration a typical block of vacation time. Basically Pgh is the intersection of the Appalachian and W to E weather systems. Winters are mild compared to the midwest or NE, which can be undesirable if one hates winter, where the 1-2 cold snaps and a few inches of snow is enough to be a pain for some folks. Pgh winters can also be undesirable to those who enjoy winter recreation. Regular snow for XC skiing or other recreation is slim and generally travel is required, and even then, the Erie snow belts or hills on the MD WV border may have a low natural coverage, and be prone to frequent melts and icings. Summers are not excessively hot albeit humidity can be high. The last two were quite good while a very damp overcast pattern can occur as well. In all, summers tend to even out. Basically the Pgh Pattern can be summed as 1. SUMMER--can be quite good, but variable. 2. FALL--due to low lattitide, the foliage wave tends to hit late in the season and arrival coincides with a change to a wet overcast pattern, which can diminish aesthetics in some years. 3. WINTER--mild with T typically hovering above freezing and a normal snow fall in January is about 1 foot. The typical January value for Boston is 42 inches. Typically in Pgh, inches of snow fall per event and then the snow melts over hours to days. At higher lattitudes, less melting occurs and snow accumulates. 4. SPRING--tends to break late as indicated by lessened overcast/precipitation, but can be quite nice as there is much foliage in the city that awakens each year.Read more: [url]http://www.city-data.com/forum/pittsburgh/567691-pittsburgh-sunshine-6.html#ixzz0Zy32BEMP[/url]

[Brandon.]

Originally Posted by chicknpotpie

Is it true that pittsburgh weather is gloomy? The reason I didn't want to move to seattle is the reputed lack of sunshine. I really like sunshine. Can anyone describe how bad it is in pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh ranks just behind Portland OR for least # of sunny days per year for metro areas.

[tigerwoods16]

From May through September, Pittsburgh has between 50 and 60% possible sunshine. You normally get more rain in late May/early June, but there are plenty of nice sunny days in comparison to other areas of the Northeast and PA in general. Temps range from the 70s to near 90 with high humidity. You get your occassional overcast, but not too bad. Most of the so-called "59 clear days" happen during the summer months too. Fall is really nice out here with less rain and overall decent weather in terms of sun. Temps range usually from the 70s in September to the 50s/60s in Nov. By Thanksgiving time, you notice a huge drop in the number of sunny days. Just about everyday of the week, except maybe a couple which are sunny/blue skies, you have complete white cloud cover. It is noticeably different than areas like Philly, NYC, or DC. Pittsburgh is complete overcast from December through February with only a few sunny days. It snows sometimes, not too bad. Temps are at or below freezing during these months. By April it begins to clear up again with more sun. In PA, Erie and Pittsburgh receive less than 50% annual possible sunshine while Philly and Harrisburg receive close to 60% annually. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is in between the two at just above 50%. In conclusion, Pittsburgh is a nice place to be from May through October. The winter months are downright depressing and overcast. Yes, it is similar to Seattle in terms of cloudiness, but not rain. Pittsburgh is not the place to move if u crave year-round sunshine.. sunshine is more seasonal here, while the other half is completely cloudy. You do notice the difference. Unfortunately, it is because of Pittsburgh's location at the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and proximity from Lake Erie that gives it more overcast than south-central and southeastern PA. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has a similar climate to Pittsburgh in terms of mountains and cloudiness, but overall in the winter months, Scr/WB receives more sun.

[Scottah112]

Originally Posted by tigerwoods16

From May through September, Pittsburgh has between 50 and 60% possible sunshine. You normally get more rain in late May/early June, but there are plenty of nice sunny days in comparison to other areas of the Northeast and PA in general. Temps range from the 70s to near 90 with high humidity. You get your occassional overcast, but not too bad. Most of the so-called "59 clear days" happen during the summer months too. Fall is really nice out here with less rain and overall decent weather in terms of sun. Temps range usually from the 70s in September to the 50s/60s in Nov. By Thanksgiving time, you notice a huge drop in the number of sunny days. Just about everyday of the week, except maybe a couple which are sunny/blue skies, you have complete white cloud cover. It is noticeably different than areas like Philly, NYC, or DC. Pittsburgh is complete overcast from December through February with only a few sunny days. It snows sometimes, not too bad. Temps are at or below freezing during these months. By April it begins to clear up again with more sun. In PA, Erie and Pittsburgh receive less than 50% annual possible sunshine while Philly and Harrisburg receive close to 60% annually. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is in between the two at just above 50%. In conclusion, Pittsburgh is a nice place to be from May through October. The winter months are downright depressing and overcast. Yes, it is similar to Seattle in terms of cloudiness, but not rain. Pittsburgh is not the place to move if u crave year-round sunshine.. sunshine is more seasonal here, while the other half is completely cloudy. You do notice the difference. Unfortunately, it is because of Pittsburgh's location at the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and proximity from Lake Erie that gives it more overcast than south-central and southeastern PA. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has a similar climate to Pittsburgh in terms of mountains and cloudiness, but overall in the winter months, Scr/WB receives more sun.

^This. What I don't understand is how people in Pittsburgh will argue you to no end that it is just as sunny here as anyone else or "it aint that bad n at" I moved to the area in March of '09 and didn't realize how important sunshine was to myself. I've live in Charlotte, Austin and El Paso. It is grey here at least 60% of the year. I can't handle it. It has put me on the verge of SAD. And STILL, the locals will have one sunny day in July and try to say "look, it's sunny now!!!!"

[Copanut]

It's cloudy here most of the times. If you don't like it move.

[BrianTH]

What I don't understand is how people in Pittsburgh will argue you to no end that it is just as sunny here as anyone else or "it aint that bad n at"

Well, this first part is factually inaccurate: it is indeed somewhat cloudier here than most larger American cities.

As for the second part: the simple fact is that I really don't find that extra cloudiness to be a big deal. That of course is a subjective matter, but to me the difference in cloudiness is a small factor in comparison to the things that I like about the climate/weather in Pittsburgh.

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Well, this first part is factually inaccurate: it is indeed somewhat cloudier here than most larger American cities.

As for the second part: the simple fact is that I really don't find that extra cloudiness to be a big deal. That of course is a subjective matter, but to me the difference in cloudiness is a small factor in comparison to the things that I like about the climate/weather in Pittsburgh.

I agree. We have a landscape that stays green as opposed to parched throughout the summer and we hardly ever have water restrictions. I like to see vibrant streams and waterfalls in the mountains outside of Pittsburgh. The climate allows for plenty of water that nourishes nature. This cannot be understated for nature lovers.