Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Originally Posted by Trimac20;21873876 But yeah, the two biggest cities in Australia, [B
Sydney[/b] and Melbourne, are cloudier than most major American cities. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston are all sunnier. Melbourne's sunshine is closer to cities like Seattle or Buffalo. The Outback seems to represent Australia in the popular imagination but that vast area probably has a couple of million people at most, about the population of metro Las Vegas.
Sydney? With one site averaging 2625 hrs/year? Chicago's percentages (54% annual through 2008) don't give it more than low 2400s at best anyway - and Im sceptical of its averages as I have earlier remarked. I would have my doubts about Philadelphia and New York as well, as far as comparisons with Sydney are concerned. This question of comparability between US data and the UK, Canada, Australia and NZ has not been resolved.
Definitely... the cost, distance and immigration bureaucracy are the main reasons why I have not moved there. If I had a decent job offer in something I could actually do, I'd move in a heartbeat. Same goes for the US...
I'd definitely move to the USA if I had a decent job offer in a heartbeat.. but with the economy the way it is...
In any case a bit off topic.... Suffice it to say, both Australia and the USA have excellent climates that I could really really enjoy..
Two cities on my list of places to move are Key West and Darwin
I wish our sunshine averages were more standardized, that way we can get an accurate picture of what sunshine averages we get in many places here vs. there. That being said, Puerto Rico is the only place in the U.S. that is exactly like the Top End (except more rain in PR) and the Torres Strait.
So far, the only thing I can say about sunshine averages where I live, is that our typical winter months have about 2 weeks of clear and relatively clear skies, on average. How's that compare to Melbourne, the closest city to where I live on the Australian mainland? The amount of daylight hours across the months is also almost the same, since Melbourne is only 2° difference from me
Sydney? With one site averaging 2625 hrs/year? Chicago's percentages (54% annual through 2008) don't give it more than low 2400s at best anyway - and Im sceptical of its averages as I have earlier remarked. I would have my doubts about Philadelphia and New York as well, as far as comparisons with Sydney are concerned. This question of comparability between US data and the UK, Canada, Australia and NZ has not been resolved.
I agree. At best Philly and NY would be the same as Sydney but with the caveat that Philly and New York have sunnier summers. And Chicago also has sunnier summers, but not more annually than Sydney.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,081,790 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by deneb78
Definitely... the cost, distance and immigration bureaucracy are the main reasons why I have not moved there. If I had a decent job offer in something I could actually do, I'd move in a heartbeat. Same goes for the US...
I'd definitely move to the USA if I had a decent job offer in a heartbeat.. but with the economy the way it is...
In any case a bit off topic.... Suffice it to say, both Australia and the USA have excellent climates that I could really really enjoy..
Two cities on my list of places to move are Key West and Darwin
With air travel these days I don't really see isolation as a problem. Australia is also close to Asia, which imo offers a more rich and diverse cultural experience than Latin America, although the latter is awesome it's cultural is more homogenous. If you have family in North America I could see it as being a disadvantage though. But if you only fly to the US or Europe once in a blue moon it doesn't really factor.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,081,790 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by RWood
Sydney? With one site averaging 2625 hrs/year? Chicago's percentages (54% annual through 2008) don't give it more than low 2400s at best anyway - and Im sceptical of its averages as I have earlier remarked. I would have my doubts about Philadelphia and New York as well, as far as comparisons with Sydney are concerned. This question of comparability between US data and the UK, Canada, Australia and NZ has not been resolved.
Which site is that? One in the western suburbs? I think the figure I recall is in the 2400s, and I've seen something like 2500 for Chicago, but yes, I was just going on quoted figures, the reality might be different. I've also compared sunshine hour data to the number of clear/cloudy days; but that too is kind of subjective and the BOM and NOAA seem to use different methods. From comparing the number of clear/cloudy/partly cloudy days it actually seems the Eastern US should indeed be a bit less sunny than the sunshine hour totals suggest. 3000 hours a year for somewhere like Columbia, SC always seemed a touch high to me, considering they have quite a few more 'cloudy' days than Perth which gets about the same amount of sun.
The BOM averages probably don't really reflect the average 'impression' of sunniness one gets in Australian cities these days either. In the past 10 years Perth has probably cracked the 3200 hour mark more than a few times. We've had years with as few as 60 raindays, well below the 119 long-term average. The 30 year average would probably also suggest something lower.
Which site is that? One in the western suburbs? I think the figure I recall is in the 2400s, and I've seen something like 2500 for Chicago, but yes, I was just going on quoted figures, the reality might be different. I've also compared sunshine hour data to the number of clear/cloudy days; but that too is kind of subjective and the BOM and NOAA seem to use different methods. From comparing the number of clear/cloudy/partly cloudy days it actually seems the Eastern US should indeed be a bit less sunny than the sunshine hour totals suggest. 3000 hours a year for somewhere like Columbia, SC always seemed a touch high to me, considering they have quite a few more 'cloudy' days than Perth which gets about the same amount of sun.
The BOM averages probably don't really reflect the average 'impression' of sunniness one gets in Australian cities these days either. In the past 10 years Perth has probably cracked the 3200 hour mark more than a few times. We've had years with as few as 60 raindays, well below the 119 long-term average. The 30 year average would probably also suggest something lower.
It's the Aero (the only sunshine site around urban Sydney as far as I know), for a fairly substantial timespan, (1976-present). It's possible this may decrease a little if the current PDO phase has enough effect, but that's not really clear at this point.
I would certainly add Columbia to my list of "suspects". Perth is a case of moving averages, given the documented decrease in rainfall with the southward movement of the southern jet and associated weather systems. It has averaged a tad over 3200 hours at the airport over an 18-year timespan.
Sydney? With one site averaging 2625 hrs/year? Chicago's percentages (54% annual through 2008) don't give it more than low 2400s at best anyway - and Im sceptical of its averages as I have earlier remarked. I would have my doubts about Philadelphia and New York as well, as far as comparisons with Sydney are concerned. This question of comparability between US data and the UK, Canada, Australia and NZ has not been resolved.
Something to keep in mind is the quality of the sunshine. Sunshine in winter, even at Sydney's latitude, is poorer in my opinion than sunshine in summer where the sun is blazing down on you from very high in the sky. Sydney is cloudier than almost everywhere in the US in summer. So yes, Sydney has high sunshine hours, but much of that comes at a time when the sun is relatively low in the sky. During summer the % of possible in the low 50's is rather poor.
It's the Aero (the only sunshine site around urban Sydney as far as I know), for a fairly substantial timespan, (1976-present). It's possible this may decrease a little if the current PDO phase has enough effect, but that's not really clear at this point.
I would certainly add Columbia to my list of "suspects". Perth is a case of moving averages, given the documented decrease in rainfall with the southward movement of the southern jet and associated weather systems. It has averaged a tad over 3200 hours at the airport over an 18-year timespan.
I'm suspect of anything in Wiki, but if those are the hours for Columbia, SC from NCDC then I buy it. Sooner or later provide documented evidence, otherwise I don't buy this notion that every bit of sunshine data in the US is somehow suspect compared to NZ or Australia. There is variability and problem recording with the S-C method as well. The methods used in each country were standarized in as far as the 120Watts being the start of "bright" sunshine. As I said, your "feelings" about the sunshine in Chicago wouldn't stand up to any scientific scrutiny. You may well be correct, but you need scientific documentation or reports in Meteo Journals to back it up that specifically state that "bright sunshine" in the US is either more liberally measured in the US, or is somehow under measured in the UK, NZ, etc.
I gave you sources that stated the US used Foster-Foskett and what the threshold for "bright sunshine" was. How bout some proof that it overestimates compared to S-C.
Something to keep in mind is the quality of the sunshine. Sunshine in winter, even at Sydney's latitude, is poorer in my opinion than sunshine in summer where the sun is blazing down on you from very high in the sky. Sydney is cloudier than almost everywhere in the US in summer. So yes, Sydney has high sunshine hours, but much of that comes at a time when the sun is relatively low in the sky. During summer the % of possible in the low 50's is rather poor.
Depends on your preferences, no doubt. But remember that haze/pollution counts as well. My experience of summer sunshine in NY, Chicago and Washington DC left me rather underwhelmed in that respect. Sydney can be polluted at times, but I'd warrant that most of the time its summer sunshine when present would feel much stronger - and also remember it is at a lower latitude than those cities (I'm not making comparisons with the US South).
I've talked to NZ people who have spent whole days out in the sun in the deserts beyond LA - and didn't get sunburnt. You can't do that in NZ without paying the penalty if no precautions are taken.
I'm suspect of anything in Wiki, but if those are the hours for Columbia, SC from NCDC then I buy it. Sooner or later provide documented evidence, otherwise I don't buy this notion that every bit of sunshine data in the US is somehow suspect compared to NZ or Australia. There is variability and problem recording with the S-C method as well. The methods used in each country were standarized in as far as the 120Watts being the start of "bright" sunshine. As I said, your "feelings" about the sunshine in Chicago wouldn't stand up to any scientific scrutiny. You may well be correct, but you need scientific documentation or reports in Meteo Journals to back it up that specifically state that "bright sunshine" in the US is either more liberally measured in the US, or is somehow under measured in the UK, NZ, etc.
I gave you sources that stated the US used Foster-Foskett and what the threshold for "bright sunshine" was. How bout some proof that it overestimates compared to S-C.
It is my intention as stated before to talk to a British expert - I will get back on that in due course. I'm happy to recant if that doesn't give me anything to proceed from.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
