'Give me back my sun!' Several northern cities endure gloomy start to spring
Some cities have seen just a couple days with mostly sunny skies since spring began, and there are two we've found that haven't had any.
A general view of Guaranteed Rate field during a rain delay of the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 30, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
SEATTLE -- Spring is supposed to be a time when we shake off the winter chill and doldrums and start our march toward sunnier summers.
But for many in the North, spring might be feeling like just an extension of winter. Perhaps Punxsutawney Phil saw an extra-large shadow this year?
Since March 21, several cities have reported just a handful of official sunny days -- defined as 30% or less cloud cover during the daylight hours.
Out of the 43 days through Tuesday, Boston has had just five sunny days, while Minneapolis has notched only four, and Washington D.C.? Just three.
Chicago has had two days to enjoy mostly blue skies: April 14 and March 27. That's 41 days with at least a half obscured sky with 28 of those days at 80% cloud cover or more! That feels downright Seattle-like!
Oh, speaking of the Pacific Northwest, yes, they were cloudy too -- even more so than usual. Portland has had one official sunny day since the start of spring: April 6 just barely qualified at 30% cloud cover.
And Seattle? Well, the Emerald City hasn't seen a sunny day yet this spring. They are 0-43. In fact, they are 0-67. The city hasn't seen a sunny day in April or March; their last official sunny day was Feb. 25. It was 26 degrees that morning, and it had snowed the day before, so not exactly "run to the beach" weather.
But Seattle has company, and not from the Pacific Northwest. Detroit has nearly matched Seattle's sunshine futility. The Motor City also has gone all of March and April without a sunny day; their streak extends back to Feb. 27.
If you're desperate to find spring sunshine, the good news was it could still be found where you would expect it. Las Vegas has seen full sunshine on 26 of the 43 days, with Downtown Los Angeles at 28 days and Phoenix at 31.