Sunny Days in Pittsburgh: 145 (Not 59) (Portland: ski resorts, moving, swimming)

[gallacus]

I think many people seriously mis-interpreted the purpose of the article. First of all, it was not written by a columnist, rather a regular Pittsburgher like you and I.

Second, it was not meant in any way to be a scientific disproval of the statistics posted by the NWS, only to make an anecdotal observation that was to suggest that statistics are not everything. In other words, if what you like is a beautiful sunny day, you will get (or at least got in 2006) 145 of them in Pittsburgh -- you just wont be able to chalk it up as a sunny day 86 of those days since there are a few puffy white clouds in the sky.

For example, I was kayaking for 5 straight hours last week when the weather conditions were listed as partly cloudy all day, but I got sunburnt as all hell! Not bad in my book.

[Katarina Witt]

gallacus, et all: I was with you all the way until this:

you just wont be able to chalk it up as a sunny day 86 of those days since there are a few puffy white clouds in the sky.

If you look up the NWS definitions, you will see that "a few puffy white clouds" are within the definition of a clear day, e.g. 0 -30% cloud cover. It's those gray, overcast days of 90% cloud cover that are the issue. And yes, you can get a sunburn through the clouds. Just ask a nurse!

[gallacus]

If you look up the NWS definitions, you will see that "a few puffy white clouds" are within the definition of a clear day, e.g. 0 -30% cloud cover. It's those gray, overcast days of 90% cloud cover that are the issue.

Well, last week when I was on the Yough all day long, I would say there was approximately 50% cloud cover, thus constituting a partly-cloudy day by NWS standards, but in my book not even on the same page as an "overcast day of 90% cloud cover". I wasn't getting sunburnt through the clouds, it was the 50% of the time that I was in direct sunlight that killed me. Its all in your interpretation of the word "few" I guess, maybe a poor choice of words on my part

[Katarina Witt]

OK, I hope you had a good time. I, too, have rafted the Yough, and it's a lot of fun!

[RockLobster]

Hey, the weather is what you make out of it. Some thrive in the rain, some get swept down the drain. Me, well seen, done it, got burned from it..almost drowned because of it. Two of the above happened on Thursday. Got sunburned playing tennis at mid-day and had water up to my door in my car around rush hour. Now that's an active climate !! Yippie Oh yeh, May 31st is PA's worse date as weather goes.. Great Johnstown Flood claims several thousand, and 1985 tornado outbreak in western and nw Pa levels many towns and was one of the strongest eastern twister outbreaks in history. Even a F-5 graced our state that crazy day... Twisssssssssssster.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by RockLobster

Hey, the weather is what you make out of it. Some thrive in the rain, some get swept down the drain. Me, well seen, done it, got burned from it..almost drowned because of it. Two of the above happened on Thursday. Got sunburned playing tennis at mid-day and had water up to my door in my car around rush hour. Now that's an active climate !! Yippie Oh yeh, May 31st is PA's worse date as weather goes.. Great Johnstown Flood claims several thousand, and 1985 tornado outbreak in western and nw Pa levels many towns and was one of the strongest eastern twister outbreaks in history. Even a F-5 graced our state that crazy day... Twisssssssssssster.

And don't forget the bomb threats yesterday that shut down half the city! Not exactly weather related, but that was pretty crazy too...

[Gerbil]

Why is the weather such a big deal? We may not have as much sun as the southwest, but I love our variety, not to mention the change of seasons. We may not have as much sun as Florida, but at least we don't get hurricanes.

I am not trying to say our weather is better, just that there are pro's and con's everywhere.

By the way, it seems to me that we have the same weather as the rest of the northeast. What we have today, Philly will probably have tomorrow. We don't exist in a weather bubble, and I don't know why such a big deal is made of our weather in particular.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Gerbil

By the way, it seems to me that we have the same weather as the rest of the northeast. What we have today, Philly will probably have tomorrow. We don't exist in a weather bubble, and I don't know why such a big deal is made of our weather in particular.

In some ways, we do exist in a weather bubble. The snowbelt doesn't extend over to the eastern side of the state. Most of the precipitation (rain and snow) falls on this side of the mountains before the weather moves eastward.

[Gerbil]

Even so, when I look at the radar and weather reports, it seems like we usually have the same weather as the rest of the northeast. When we have bad snow, so does everyone else. When we have cold, so do they. That's just my observation of course, but I don't see the big deal.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Gerbil

Even so, when I look at the radar and weather reports, it seems like we usually have the same weather as the rest of the northeast. When we have bad snow, so does everyone else. When we have cold, so do they. That's just my observation of course, but I don't see the big deal.

I lived in Harrisburg during my 20s. The weather there is completely different. You might see clouds in the radar, but most of the precipitation from the clouds generally falls before they cross the mountain range. For the record, I love Pittsburgh weather, Gerbil.