Average Winter Sunshine by State
The tables below pull together numbers on the amount of sunshine that each US state usually has during winter. There's information by state on the season's averages for percent, hours and days of sun.
The % Sun number measures the percentage of time between sunrise and sunset that sunshine reaches the ground. Total Hours is the average number of sunny hours a place normally has in winter. Clear Days is the average number of days in winter when cloud covers at most 30 percent of the sky during daylight hours.
All of the numbers are averages of several decades of weather measurements. The winter totals are based on data for the months of December, January and February.
Since so few weather stations measure sunshine, meaningful state-wide averages aren't available. Instead, the tables list a place for each state that represents the state's typical amount of sunshine.
State | Place | % Sun | Total Hours | Clear Days |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Birmingham | 46 | 464 | 22 |
Alaska | Anchorage | 34 | 255 | 19 |
Arizona | Tucson | 80 | 764 | 42 |
Arkansas | Fort Smith | 52 | 502 | 28 |
California | San Diego | 72 | 698 | 36 |
Colorado | Grand Junction | 62 | 577 | 27 |
Connecticut | Hartford | 52 | 485 | 22 |
Delaware | Wilmington | – | – | 22 |
Florida | Tampa | 64 | 594 | 29 |
Georgia | Macon | 58 | 554 | 25 |
Hawaii | Honolulu | 65 | – | 25 |
Idaho | Boise | 43 | 366 | 14 |
Illinois | Peoria | 46 | 422 | 21 |
Indiana | Indianapolis | 42 | 380 | 17 |
Iowa | Des Moines | 50 | 450 | 23 |
Kansas | Wichita | 59 | 546 | 29 |
Kentucky | Louisville | 43 | 408 | 18 |
State | Place | % Sun | Total Hours | Clear Days |
---|---|---|---|---|
Louisiana | New Orleans | 48 | 472 | 23 |
Maine | Portland | 56 | 479 | 28 |
Maryland | Baltimore | 52 | 464 | 24 |
Massachusetts | Boston | 54 | 474 | 26 |
Michigan | Lansing | 36 | 340 | 10 |
Minnesota | Minneapolis | 51 | 449 | 22 |
Mississippi | Jackson | 51 | 472 | 25 |
Missouri | Springfield | 50 | 471 | 24 |
Montana | Helena | 48 | 368 | 13 |
Nebraska | Lincoln | 56 | 491 | 26 |
Nevada | Reno | 66 | 587 | 23 |
New Hampshire | Concord | 51 | 469 | 25 |
New Jersey | Atlantic City | 50 | 443 | 24 |
New Mexico | Albuquerque | 72 | 683 | 38 |
New York | Syracuse | 32 | 289 | 8 |
North Carolina | Greensboro | 53 | 507 | 28 |
North Dakota | Bismarck | 51 | 426 | 20 |
State | Place | % Sun | Total Hours | Clear Days |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ohio | Columbus | 36 | 321 | 12 |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | 59 | 571 | 32 |
Oregon | Portland | 30 | 266 | 8 |
Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | 49 | 448 | 20 |
Rhode Island | Providence | 55 | 493 | 26 |
South Carolina | Columbia | 58 | 528 | 28 |
South Dakota | Huron | 55 | 507 | 21 |
Tennessee | Nashville | 43 | 415 | 20 |
Texas | Dallas | 53 | 535 | 31 |
Utah | Salt Lake City | 47 | 404 | 17 |
Vermont | Burlington | 41 | 365 | 12 |
Virginia | Richmond | 55 | 515 | 25 |
Washington | Seattle | 30 | 232 | 8 |
West Virginia | Beckley | – | – | 14 |
Wisconsin | Madison | 46 | 405 | 20 |
Wyoming | Lander | 65 | 567 | 25 |
References
National Climatic Data Center. Comparative Climatic Data.
World Data Center for Meteorology. Climate of the World.