Many people believe the weather in San Francisco, where I live currently, is just about perfect—never too hot, never too cold. But as a born-and-raised New Englander, I can’t get over the absence of four distinct seasons in the Bay Area. After twelve years here, I still yearn for fall foliage, winter snow, spring blossoms, and hot summers in which I can actually take a swim in the ocean without having to wear a wetsuit. Something about the ups and downs of enduring eighteen-degree days in February and 70 percent humidity in July simply suited my psyche better than the lack of climatic variation in Northern California—I guess I just find the cycle of punishment and reward inherent in East Coast weather more exciting. Whatever the reason, when I leave my house in San Francisco on the fourteenth foggy, fifty-degree day in a row (especially if it’s a day in August), it really gets to me—I feel antsy, glum, and sluggish. The majority of researchers concur that weather does impact mood—just ask the millions of Americans who suffer from seasonal affective disorder—but are the residents of U.S. cities with great weather happier overall than those who live in cities with a crummy climate? The experts say no.
Sunny Weather, Sunny Disposition?
Since its inception in 1818, the Farmers’ Almanac has been one of the definitive resources on all things climate-related in the United States (although that still doesn’t make setting our clocks an hour ahead for daylight saving time any easier). Its Web site features a list of the ten U.S. cities with the best weather, as well as explanations of its criteria for determining which places make the cut:
- Yuma, Arizona: This city boasts only seventeen rainy days annually, 90 percent sunshine, and extremely dry heat (it’s the third-least-humid city in the country).
- Las Vegas, Nevada: 85 percent sunshine and just twenty-six rainy days per year mean lots more tanning time at all those high-priced hotels.
- Phoenix, Arizona: Tied with Vegas in the sunshine department, Phoenix has the lowest relative humidity and only 7.11 inches of annual precipitation.
