Cloudiest American Cities in Winter

by Liz Osborn © Current Results Nexus

Days of Heavy Cloud

The cloudiest cities in the United States — Portland, Oregon and Cleveland, Ohio — are blanketed with heavy cloud during three out of four winter days. Overcast skies dominate the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle ranking as the third cloudiest big city in winter.

A total of twelve major US cities get 50 or more days of dense cloud during the months of December, January and February. These are grey winter days when more than three-quarters of the sky is covered in cloud.

The major cities included in these weather rankings are the 40 cities in the United States with over 440,000 people on July 1, 2006, according to the US Census Bureau's estimates. Of these, 37 cities collect data daily on the extent of cloud cover.

All Cloudy Days

When the count of cloudy days includes partial cloud as well as heavy overcast, the ranking of cloudiest cities in winter changes little. Portland and Cleveland still top the list, typically getting some cloud on at least nine out of ten winter days.

Partial Cloudy Weather

California's coastal cities dominate the list of major American cities that most often have partially cloudy days in winter. The heavy cloud that blankets western Oregon and Washington during much of winter breaks up along the Californian coast.

Partially cloudy days are those when cloud covers between one-quarter and three-quarters of the sky.

The major US cities that most often get partially cloudy days during winter day are not among the country's cloudiest cities overall. These cities have relatively few winter days when cloud obscures over three-quarters of the sky.