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Keep in mind that when a community boasts of the number of days of sunshine per year, they are referring to the historical average number of days in a year in which the sun MADE AN APPEARANCE. Thus, for example, for a community with an average of 325 days of sunshine a year, the sun shone for at least one minute on 325 days. In those records, a "day of sunshine" could have been one minute or 12 hours (or more).
Another way to look at this is the number of minutes of sunshine per year compared to the total possible minutes of sunshine...if the sun happened to be shining for all possible times (sunrise to sunset). For Albuquerque, the sun has shone an average of 76 percent of all possible minutes since these records began in 1931. That is at the airport.
Using available records, satellite and appropriate algorithms, I've calculated this for other areas of the state. For the Albuquerque area, the range is from about 69 percent in Sandia Park to 77 percent in the Albuquerque Valley. For New Mexico, the range is from just over 80 percent in the lower elevations of the south to between 60 and 65 percent along the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Las Vegas and Raton.
I'm not sure where you live, but you can compare those figures to places like Seattle (43 percent), Pittsburg (45 percent) or Detriot (46 percent). Anyway you look at it, you get a pretty good dose of sunshine in New Mexico.
I keep hearing 300 days of sunshine about Albuquerque. Is it only in that city and surrounding burbs or almost the entire state?
I suppose "days of sunshine" can be defined different ways, and I don't have any stats to quote, but I've lived here 16 years and I'd be shocked if there wasn't at least SOME sunshine considerably more days per year than that.
The best news is - when there are clouds about, they provide some of the most awesome skys imaginable.
Keep in mind that when a community boasts of the number of days of sunshine per year, they are referring to the historical average number of days in a year in which the sun MADE AN APPEARANCE. Thus, for example, for a community with an average of 325 days of sunshine a year, the sun shone for at least one minute on 325 days. In those records, a "day of sunshine" could have been one minute or 12 hours (or more).
Another way to look at this is the number of minutes of sunshine per year compared to the total possible minutes of sunshine...if the sun happened to be shining for all possible times (sunrise to sunset). For Albuquerque, the sun has shone an average of 76 percent of all possible minutes since these records began in 1931. That is at the airport.
Using available records, satellite and appropriate algorithms, I've calculated this for other areas of the state. For the Albuquerque area, the range is from about 69 percent in Sandia Park to 77 percent in the Albuquerque Valley. For New Mexico, the range is from just over 80 percent in the lower elevations of the south to between 60 and 65 percent along the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Las Vegas and Raton.
I'm not sure where you live, but you can compare those figures to places like Seattle (43 percent), Pittsburg (45 percent) or Detriot (46 percent). Anyway you look at it, you get a pretty good dose of sunshine in New Mexico.
^^^This^^^
I'd also add the places like San Francisco get 66% of possible sunshine (by the bay, only 58% by the ocean). Downtown Los Angeles gets about 73%. San Diego get 68%, while Phoenix & Las Vegas get 85% So, New Mexico is sunny compared to other sunny places as well.
Not to quibble, but Pittsburg is in California and most certainly gets more than 45% of the possible amount of sunchine. PittsburgH is in Pennsylvania, and most likely does only get 45%.
I suppose "days of sunshine" can be defined different ways, and I don't have any stats to quote, but I've lived here 16 years and I'd be shocked if there wasn't at least SOME sunshine considerably more days per year than that.
The best news is - when there are clouds about, they provide some of the most awesome skys imaginable.
You're right about that. The sun makes an appearance on well over 300 days everywhere in New Mexico, and averages 360 days per year in the lower elevations of the southwest counties...and over 350 days over most areas of the state below 5500 feet.
Just for kicks, here are two other sunshine statistics for Albuquerque (airport):
1. Only 10 percent of all days since 1931 have produced less than 4 hours of sunshine.
2. The record number of consecutive days with the sun making an appearance is 779. This was from the middle of December 1961 until early February 1964.
What is interesting about this thread to me is that it really does not matter if your town gets 250 or 350 days of sunshine. That place is damn SUNNY! Where l live in Oregon the Willamette Valley gets something like 120 or so days, whereas in S. Oregon, we get closer to 180 or so. It really helps when you are sunstarved, but I would not trade our climate for 300+ days, that would be cloudstarved. I hate relentless sun as much as relentless clouds. Vibrant changeable skies with clouds and sun are what most people like. So, the difference between, say, 100 days and 200 days of sun is hugely important, but 250 to 350 days much less so.
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