Cloudiest Places in United States

Days of Heavy Cloud

The south coast of Alaska leads the way as the cloudiest region of the United States. Several weather stations scattered along the coast's remote islands and bays report more cloudy days a year than anywhere else in the country. Places with plenty of heavy cloudy range from Juneau on Alaska's panhandle in the southeast, westward to Saint Paul Island in the Bering Sea.

Consistently the cloudiest among these isolated places is Cold Bay, a tiny community on the Alaska Peninsula in Aleutians East Borough. Cold Bay has an average of 304 overcast days a year, 83% of days, when cloud covers over three-quarters of the sky.

Saint Paul Island ranks second among the 260 major weather stations in the US that track cloudy days, with 287 days annually. Juneau is the next cloudiest with extensive cloud on 280 days a year, or about three out of four days.

Outside of Alaska, exceptionally cloudy spots include Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, and coastal areas of Washington and northern Oregon.

The rankings are for the 260 major weather stations in the US that track cloudy days.

Cloudiest places in the United States, outside of Alaska, ranked by the average number of days annually when cloud covers more than three-quarters of the sky.
Location Days a Year
With Heavy Cloud
% of Days
Mt. Washington, New Hampshire 244 67
Astoria, Oregon 239 65
Quillayute, Washington 239 65
Olympia, Washington 228 62
Seattle Airport, Washington 226 62
Portland, Oregon 222 61
Kalispell, Montana 214 59
Elkins, West Virginia 212 58
Binghamton, New York 212 58
Beckley, West Virginia 210 58

All Cloudy Days

It's a rare day when overhead cloud is scarce in Cold Bay, Alaska. Cloud covers over one-quarter of the Cold Bay sky on an average of 354 days a year. That leaves just eleven days annually of clear weather.

No major US weather station outside of Alaska comes close to recording so many cloudy and partially cloudy days.

US weather stations reporting over 310 days a year with at least one-quarter of the sky covered by cloud.
Location Days a Year With Cloud % of Days
Cold Bay, Alaska 354 97
St. Paul Island, Alaska 348 95
Hilo, Hawaii 329 90
Annette, Alaska 325 89
Yakutat, Alaska 324 89
Juneau, Alaska 321 88
Mt. Washington New Hampshire 321 88
Astoria, Oregon 315 86
Elkins, West Virginia 315 86
King Salmon, Alaska 314 86
Quillayute, Washington 314 86
Binghamton, New York 314 86
Olympia, Washington 312 85
Buffalo, New York 311 85

Partial Cloudy Weather

While southern Alaska excels at solid overcast, Hawaii and Florida are the places most likely to be under partial cloud cover. These are weather conditions when cloud cover extends anywhere from over one-quarter up to three-quarters of the sky.

Partially cloudy skies are most common in Lihue and Honolulu, Hawaii, accounting for half of all days there.

Places in the US with over 130 days a year when cloud covers between one-quarter and three-quarters of the sky.
Location Days a Year With Partial Cloud % of Days
Lihue, Hawaii 184 50
Honolulu, Hawaii 181 50
Miami, Florida 175 48
Fort Myers, Florida 168 46
West Palm Beach, Florida 159 44
Key West, Florida 155 42
Orlando, Florida 147 40
Kahului, Hawaii 145 40
Tampa, Florida 143 39
Alamosa, Colorado 137 38
Daytona Beach, Florida 132 36
Hilo, Hawaii 132 36
Brownsville, Texas 131 36
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