HAVE A NICE DAY

    A clichéd title is appropriate when the subject is a mundane one - the weather. I complain all the time about people who talk about and complain about the weather, which, I suppose makes me one of them. I should be excused for bringing up the topic in this instance, however, since I have now a clearer understanding of what ‘nice days’ are, weatherwise, and where we are most likely to find some of them.
     You might think that there is not much confusion about what constitutes a nice day. As the September solstice approaches, the birds clearly believe that the nicer weather is to be found to the south of Canada and they are soon to be followed by many Canadians who clearly agree. Apart from wanting to be warm we also generally agree that the heat should come without too much humidity, that a light breeze is better than a strong wind and that the sun should not be hidden by too many clouds. We want it to be basically like our living room, but perhaps with a view of some palm trees and water.

    Using such criteria, Brent Brettschneider, a climate scientist, analyzed the data provided from 373 stations around the country (the U.S. not Canada; our weather stations were probably frozen), on an hourly basis for all 365 days over the 20 year period from 1998 to 2018 to determine which places yielded the most nice days over an entire year.

    The results may surprise you. Hawaii doesn’t do so well (high winds and humidity) while Arizona does. If you look at a weather map right now it is likely to be around 85F (30C) in Phoenix or Tucson, but one has to remember that from October to March it is typically sunny, cool and dry. Seattle also does surprisingly well since the wet winter is offset by a fairly dry summer. Anchorage is apparently one of the worst places to be and that is where Mr. Brettschneider resides, proving that just as we can’t control the weather, we often can't choose where to live.

     The article, “What Cities Have the Most Nice Days in America?” by Brian Brettschneider, The Washington Post, August 7, 2018. Here are some of the interesting results:


Other high-scoring cities, which also include several in the Southeast United States, include:
Seattle: 78 nice days per year
Portland: 74 nice days
Charlotte: 74 nice days
San Francisco: 73 nice days
Atlanta: 73 nice days
Jacksonville, Fla.: 71 nice days
Las Vegas: 68 nice days

Other cities that score poorly, many in the Midwest and Northeast, include:
Colorado Springs: 41 nice days per year
Boston: 44 nice days
Omaha: 45 nice days
Washington: 46 nice days
Minneapolis: 46 nice days
Dallas: 46 nice days
Chicago: 47 nice days
Kansas City: 47 nice days
Philadelphia: 48 nice days
Austin: 48 nice days

Post Script

If you are interested in weather history see my post about the periodical, Weatherwise.