Sunny Daze in 2023

[ciderman]

I did an unofficial research program of the sunny days in 2023. I wanted to check on the
viable contention that the Methow Valley has 300 Sunny Days a year. The somewhat official
requirement of at least one hour of Sunshine to qualify wa strictly enforced! July was the
clear monthly winner with all 31 days having a visit from Ol’ Sol. December came in last at
only 9…. Total Days of potential Skin Cancer Awareness …….Drum Roll…..247! Pretty short
of that Magical 300… Anyone else have a different number?

ciderman

[Lupinelover]

This is a true El Niño year.
However….the last 3 years have been progressively cloudy and overcast in the winter.
It mirrors the marine climate on the other side of the mountains. A lot less winter sun in the past 3 years. Not good for those who truly feel better with a blast of sunshine to the brain.

[bavaria]

I can't agree more with Lupinelovers finding.
I even traded in my snow skis for water skis and am heading way south.
A sunny New Year to all of you,

[brenttannehill]

I kept track in November and December. If the sun came out for an hour, I called it a cloudy day. If it was about half a day, It counted as .5 days.
November- sunny 12.5 days
December- sunny 5 days

[Solstice]

Thanks for the look back, ciderman. Weather-watching is such a great hobby that never ends. I grew up and lived all over Colorado—much sunnier. Put in twenty years in Bellingham—much cloudier—the marine climate Lupinelover references. We'll just have to wait and see what 2024 has in store for us.

It's early yet, but I'll be keeping an eye out for weather measurements and phenomena such as heat indexes, thermal comfort, transpiration, and wet bulb globe temperatures. I'd love to skip another heat dome.

I do feel sorry for weather forecasters trying to say the same thing differently:

Little or no snow accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Chance of precipitation is 10%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. It must be hard.