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That makes sense to me. IMO, NZ is quite sunny for an oceanic climate, especially when compared to the UK. I don't generally buy into the idea that NZ presents a misconception of climate re not a sunny tropical paradise. To me, and I think Americans in general, we don't have this idea of NZ as a tropical, sunny paradise, but more like a subtropical, somewhat cooler version of Hawaii in the far down S. Pacific. NZ is sunnier than the UK, and I think a bit warmer. Don't you think coastal areas of NZ are warmer than S. England coast?
Considerable areas of it would be, but the winter difference is greater than the summer one. Tmeans for say Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier and New Plymouth - Jan/Feb and July - would illustrate this point. Annual Tmeans for even Napier and New Plymouth are well ahead of the UK southern coastal areas: (all quoted 1971-2000) Eastbourne 11.0C; Christchurch 12.2C, Wellington Aero 13.6C, Napier 14.5C, Tauranga 15.0C, Auck. city 15.9C, Kaitaia 15.9C.
No matter whatever you find online.... All of the U.S. (Except parts of pacific nw) have much more sunshine year-round than anywhere in western, northern and most of central Europe.
No matter whatever you find online.... All of the U.S. (Except parts of pacific nw) have much more sunshine year-round than anywhere in western, northern and most of central Europe.
I was in Germany and France several times, and I was taken back by the amount of clould cover compared to the USA. With the exception of the PNW as you mention, most people in the USA would never go more than 4 or 5 days without seeing some sun. Yet, I can remember times when the sun would be hidden for 3 weeks when I was in NW Europe several times. It can be scary not to see the sun for that long.
No matter whatever you find online.... All of the U.S. (Except parts of pacific nw) have much more sunshine year-round than anywhere in western, northern and most of central Europe.
Last time I checked these countries were in W. Europe, so to make a blanket statement that the USA gets much more sunshine than W. Europe is overblown to me. Spain, Portugal, the Med areas get a lot of sunshine similar to the US Southwest.
That being said, there is also a large swath of the US that gets between 2500 and 3000 hours. Even if you lopped off 200 hours from those cities they would still be in the range of Lisbon. I wouldn't call that "destroying" re Lisbon vs many US cities. LA gets 3200, San Diego gets 3000, many cities in the SW US get more than Lisbon. Even cities like Columbia, SC averging 64%, if you lopped off 250 hours you would still be around 2680 hours. Certainly close to Lisbon at 2800 hours.
Southern France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and rest of the Mediterreanean has virtually same amount of sunshine as 90% of the U.S., although some parts of the U.S. like the southwest and the south have higher than anywhere in Europe.
I thought I read (or saw on-line) that Yuma gets like 4,000 hrs of sun annually. I would think this line can't be a hard line in the sand that ends at the city limits. So perhaps areas of SW AZ and eastern CA get in that rough range.
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