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For those of you who hate cold and love winter sunshine?
Which of these three cities has the best WINTER climate for warmth and sunshine in the mainland U.S. in your opinion?
A) Los Angeles- can get highs well into the 90sF in winter which neither Phoenix nor Miami has ever done.
B) Phoenix- has the most winter sunshine of all three cities with reliably warm days but cool nights.
C) Miami- winter is the drier season so its pretty sunny and usually warm but can get cold snaps where the days don't rise above 55 F for a day or two. Gets more winter rain than Phoenix and about the same amount as L.A but is sunnier than L.A. due to the rain being more intense rain for shorter periods.
Last edited by ABrandNewWorld; 12-09-2014 at 08:55 PM..
The average lows in LA are in the high 40s December-February.
The average lows in Phoenix are in the mid 40s December-February.
Miami average lows from December-February are in the low 60s.
For warmth it is not even close. Miami gets no where near as cold as LA and Phoenix do.
Those cold snaps where the temp does not get above 55 happens not for a day or two at a time but for maybe a day or two a year. I actually can't remember the last time it has not been above 55 with sunlight.
Phoenix winter weather is vastly overrated. It regularly gets into the 40s and lower at night time. It even snowed there two winters ago! I always felt that after suffering through terrible summers there, the winters should be mild. Ultimately they were not mild enough to cancel out those summers.
LA has winters pretty similar to Phoenix, but just a little bit warmer. Of course they don't have the brutal summers.
I do believe that Miami is the winner as far as mild winters go. Even if it gets less sun than the others, the temperatures are higher. Plus I prefer cloudiness over sunniness. Of course I wouldn't complain about spending the winter in SoCal either.
Lemme state this first: all of these cities are better than most of the US in winters--really, only Hawaii has them beat.
Phoenix is the worst option. Sometimes it does have warm days, but average winter temps are even cooler than SoCal's, particularly at night. It's also gotten those bad cold snaps that the Southeast sees where sometimes days stay in the 40sF or 50sF, and sometimes graupel or even snow flurries. Phoenix also gets a lot of its rain in winter.
LA, since it's near the ocean, it a tad better than Phoenix, and gets more warm days more often. But it also gets the occasional cold snaps, and is generally rainy, windy, and cool in winter.
Miami sometimes gets cold snaps in winter. Usually, however, it's upper 70sF by day with 60F by night, SSTs in the low 70sF, and a slight breeze. The weather at this time of year is usually sunny with low humidity. In essence, it's identical to LA's weather in October or May. Miami is the clear winner.
Phoenix is the worst option. Sometimes it does have warm days, but average winter temps are even cooler than SoCal's, particularly at night. It's also gotten those bad cold snaps that the Southeast sees where sometimes days stay in the 40sF or 50sF, and sometimes graupel or even snow flurries. Phoenix also gets a lot of its rain in winter.
I agree Miami is the warmest of the 3, but not by much. Winters here in Phoenix can be chilly at night, but nothing horrible. Are they colder than LA and Miami? Yes, and often. But theres also nights where we're warmer, too. Snow here is extremely rare, and if it does snow, its in tiny pockets, and melts immediately once the sun comes back out. True we do get rain in winter, but its nothing, really. Maybe a few inches throughout the entire winter, nothing to write home about.
And dont forget Miami also suffers from cold snaps. Remember just a few years ago where their highs were in the 40s and 30s? The Iguanas were freezing to death and falling out of the trees left and right, it was bad.
Phoenix daytime temps in winter are usually wonderful, with nice, warm sun beating down. We easily have more sun than Miami and LA, so that helps. Today we'll see 77 degrees, same as yesterday. Cant really beat that.
I already mentioned that snow is rare in Phoenix, and that Phoenix and LA have warm days as well as colder-than-average days. Most of the time, however, both cities are "mild" or "cool" at best.
Miami may get cold snaps, but it is on average, much warmer than Phoenix or LA in winter; heck, probably in spring and fall as well.
Doesn't Miami have more sun in the winter than Phoenix does? Miami's sunny/dry season is during the winter, while Phoenix gets a lot of its rainfall in winter. Plus, Phoenix is chilly in the winter months the majority of the time.
Who cares if you really want a warm climate year round move to Hawaii.
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