Sunny Days in Pittsburgh: 145 (Not 59) (Portland: transplants, cliquey, high school)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by gortonator

If you can find recent ones from NOAA, I'd be very impressed. I can't ...

This isn't NOAA's, it's Cornell's, but it's through 2008.
Comparative Climate Data
In alphabetical order by state. Looks like Pgh's sunniest month is August.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by Katiana

This isn't NOAA's, it's Cornell's, but it's through 2008.
Comparative Climate Data
In alphabetical order by state. Looks like Pgh's sunniest month is August.

nice find - it's sortable - just click column heading.

Through 2008, and with a highly variable number of tears per site? And still doesn't answer why we can't find NOAA data?

Same site - cloudiness data is at:

Comparative Climate Data

So here's an interesting observation from this data. I always calibrate these numbers in my head by looking at Seattle. This data has Seattle and Seatac (the airport) - they're maybe 20 miles apart.

Possible sunshine gives Seattle 43% and Seatac 47%. Slightly surprising difference given closeness, but maybe ... local effects, and all that.

The cloudiness data gives Seattle 71 clear days, 93 partly cloudy daya and 201 cloudy.

And it gives Seatac 58 clear days, 82 partly cloudy and 226 cloudy.

So Seatac get approximately 10% more sunshine than Seattle, but has 140 days clear/pt cloudy compared to Seattle's 164. And 25 more cloudy than Seattle. But it gets more sunshine?

How does that work?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by gortonator

nice find - it's sortable - just click column heading.

Through 2008, and with a highly variable number of tears per site? And still doesn't answer why we can't find NOAA data?

Same site - cloudiness data is at:

Comparative Climate Data

So here's an interesting observation from this data. I always calibrate these numbers in my head by looking at Seattle. This data has Seattle and Seatac (the airport) - they're maybe 20 miles apart.

Possible sunshine gives Seattle 43% and Seatac 47%. Slightly surprising difference given closeness, but maybe ... local effects, and all that.

The cloudiness data gives Seattle 71 clear days, 93 partly cloudy daya and 201 cloudy.

And it gives Seatac 58 clear days, 82 partly cloudy and 226 cloudy.

So Seatac get approximately 10% more sunshine than Seattle, but has 140 days clear/pt cloudy compared to Seattle's 164. And 25 more cloudy than Seattle. But it gets more sunshine?

How does that work?

Credit nei, the Urban Planning mod, for that chart. He posted it, I just bookmarked it.

To answer your question, I have no clue. Maybe it has to do with different people making the measurements.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Credit nei, the Urban Planning mod, for that chart. He posted it, I just bookmarked it.

To answer your question, I have no clue. Maybe it has to do with different people making the measurements.

Thx nei

And on the Seattle/Seatac data, who knows. Over 40 years, some might be manual, some automated, especially cloud cover. Maybe a mix, which introduces continuity issues which may be a bit dodgy scientifically. Regardless, certainly seems anomalous.

The Pittsburgh data is 49 years until 2008. It'd be fascinating to see the annual breakdown, and assess if the industry/pollution down here had an effect 50 years ago? I've no idea but the photos are impressive in a kinda scary impressive way. Was it sun blocking bad? Would be interesting ....

[pghdude28]

Originally Posted by gortonator

Thx nei

And on the Seattle/Seatac data, who knows. Over 40 years, some might be manual, some automated, especially cloud cover. Maybe a mix, which introduces continuity issues which may be a bit dodgy scientifically. Regardless, certainly seems anomalous.

The Pittsburgh data is 49 years until 2008. It'd be fascinating to see the annual breakdown, and assess if the industry/pollution down here had an effect 50 years ago? I've no idea but the photos are impressive in a kinda scary impressive way. Was it sun blocking bad? Would be interesting ....

We averaged less than 20 clear days in 2013. All you have to do is look at each month, scroll down to the bottom, and it lists the # of clear, partly cloudy, and cloudy days. Add them up. I'm not sure if they factor in night-time cloudiness. April 2013 said 0 clear days, but I do remember at least one. Either way, it was a horrible year for clear sky lovers and it failed to hit the average of 59. A lot of rain last summer.

National Weather Service Climate

-Mark Preliminary Monthly Data to get the monthly results.

In 2012, we averaged just under 50 clear days. Much closer to normal.

I'm waiting for all the insults and accusations of trolling.... Especially when I have scientific information on my side .

[reddesertfox]

Originally Posted by Goodjules

Doesn't bother me at all. Remember, this is what summer is like in coastal northern CA, and it's what I'm used to: We Love the Fog - SF West History Minute - Western Neighborhoods Project - San Francisco History

I have a good friend from Philly who can't stand the grey or the cold. She lives in a sunnier part of CA and wouldn't ever live in Philly again. She has pretty severe SAD. I can hear it in her voice whenever the weather is grey or cold. She was one of the people who thought I was absolutely nuts to move here. The Pittsburgh winters would make her miserable. It amazes me how different we all are when it comes to our weather preferences.

When you have lived 70 years/visited and resided in beautiful sunny open country but returned to Pittsburgh...it
is alarming how depressed one becomes......when the filthy,dirty gray Southwestern Pennsylvania sky and its environs are seen once again.

[reddesertfox]

Originally Posted by pghdude28

We averaged less than 20 clear days in 2013. All you have to do is look at each month, scroll down to the bottom, and it lists the # of clear, partly cloudy, and cloudy days. Add them up. I'm not sure if they factor in night-time cloudiness. April 2013 said 0 clear days, but I do remember at least one. Either way, it was a horrible year for clear sky lovers and it failed to hit the average of 59. A lot of rain last summer.

National Weather Service Climate

-Mark Preliminary Monthly Data to get the monthly results.

In 2012, we averaged just under 50 clear days. Much closer to normal.

I'm waiting for all the insults and accusations of trolling.... Especially when I have scientific information on my side .

You are 100% correct regarding the dismal Pittsburgh year round climate.I too have studied and found the
scientific data...but Pittsburgh people,who are forced to stay{huge families{{DAD'S SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS}
what have you......will argue because they must stay...so they will stoop to making up stories about the sunny summers,springs and football sunny weekends.These folks are to be avoided tenfold.

[reddesertfox]

Originally Posted by pghdude28

We averaged less than 20 clear days in 2013. All you have to do is look at each month, scroll down to the bottom, and it lists the # of clear, partly cloudy, and cloudy days. Add them up. I'm not sure if they factor in night-time cloudiness. April 2013 said 0 clear days, but I do remember at least one. Either way, it was a horrible year for clear sky lovers and it failed to hit the average of 59. A lot of rain last summer.

National Weather Service Climate

-Mark Preliminary Monthly Data to get the monthly results.

In 2012, we averaged just under 50 clear days. Much closer to normal.

I'm waiting for all the insults and accusations of trolling.... Especially when I have scientific information on my side .

You are 100% correct regarding the dismal Pittsburgh year round climate.I too have studied and found the
scientific data...but Pittsburgh people,who are forced to stay{huge families{{DAD'S SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS}
what have you......will argue because they must stay...so they will stoop to making up stories about the sunny summers,springs and football sunny weekends.These folks are to be avoided tenfold.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by reddesertfox

When you have lived 70 years/visited and resided in beautiful sunny open country but returned to Pittsburgh...it
is alarming how depressed one becomes......when the filthy,dirty gray Southwestern Pennsylvania sky and its environs are seen once again.

I can't stand the hot humid summers, but otherwise I love the weather here. Different strokes...

[JJ Johnson]

Originally Posted by reddesertfox

When you have lived 70 years/visited and resided in beautiful sunny open country but returned to Pittsburgh...it is alarming how depressed one becomes......when the filthy,dirty gray Southwestern Pennsylvania sky and its environs are seen once again.

Yes. One of the main reasons I'll never return to SWPA to live. Nice area, nice people, but absolutely depressing weather. I try to visit only in the spring and fall.