There are many cities within the United States that have extremely cloudy weather. Some boast cloudy days for the equivalent of more than half of the year.
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is located in the northern coastal area of Oregon. It is on the Columbia River and has a deep water port for large ships. The city was named for the first US millionaire, John Jacob Astor. Astor owned the American Fur Company and in 1810 founded Fort Astor.
Astoria has an average of 240 cloudy days per year. That number makes this city the cloudiest in the United States. The average temperature is 52 degrees which means it also has mild temperatures throughout the year. Astoria has about 194 days with recordable precipitation.
Quillayute, Washington
Quillayute is a city located in the fastest growing county in Washington. It is situated on the Quillayute River which was named for a Native American tribe.
Tied with Astoria, Oregon for the cloudiest US city, it has 240 cloudy days annually. During daylight hours, only one third of them have sunlight. Quillayute has 115 inches of precipitation annually.
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is situated in the Puget Sound region of Washington. It is also the capital of the state. The average temperature is 49.6 degrees. Olympia has 165 days with precipitation and 65.5 inches of rain and snow each year. There are 229 days annually that are cloudy in Olympia.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is approximately one hundred miles south of Canada and is the most northern, major city in the contiguous US. It is rich in history as archaeologists have found evidence of humans living in that area four thousand years ago.
Seattle is known for its wet and mild climate. There are 44.2 inches of precipitation annually and 227 days are cloudy. The average temperature in Seattle is 52.3 degrees.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is ranked at number 30 for cities with the highest population in the United States. It is also considered to be one of the top ten cities in the world that is environmentally friendly or “green”.
The average temperature is 53.5 degrees with it being 62.1 in the summer and 44.8 in the winter. There are 42.3 inches of annual precipitation which occurs on 152 days. There are 223 cloudy days in Portland each year.
Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell is located in northwestern Montana and is the county seat of Flathead County. It is a large city and commercial area. Kalispell means flat land above the lake. It is the closest city to Glacier National Park.
There are 213 cloudy days in this city. The average temperature in Kalispell is 42.6 degrees. The normal yearly precipitation is 68.8 inches and 53.5 of that is snowfall.
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is located just north of the Pennsylvania border and in the southern tier of upstate New York. It is the county seat of Broome County and home to Binghamton University. Binghamton is the largest city in the metropolitan, tri-city area.
The average temperature is 45.8 degrees with 54 degrees being the average high. There are 38.7 inches of rain and 77.3 inches of snowfall each year. Binghamton has about 161 days with precipitation and 212 days that are cloudy annually.
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia. It was named for John James Beckley, who was the first clerk in the House of Representatives. He was also the first Librarian of Congress. John’s son, Alfred Beckley founded the city and named it in honor of his father.
The average precipitation in Beckley is 41.63 inches and the snowfall is 59.1 inches annually. It is one of the wettest cities in West Virginia. There are 211 cloudy days each year.
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