Dear Tom,
Is it just me, or has this winter been more sunny than usual?
Mark
Dear Mark,
Chicago weather historian Frank Wachowski confirms your suspicions: This winter has
been considerably sunnier than usual. That's a ray of good news in a winter that in
other respects has been quite harsh by historical standards. Wachowski reports that, as
of Tuesday (Feb. 24), this winter (Dec. 1- Feb 24) has been the 18th sunniest since the
inception of sunshine records in the city in 1894 (115 years ago).
Winter days are "shorter" (that is, the hours of daylight are fewest at that time of year)
and winter is also Chicago's cloudiest season -- a double whammy that makes this
time of year seem especially gray and gloomy. As of Tuesday, Chicago's sunshine this
winter stood at 51 percent of the maximum amount possible, versus a normal winter
reading of 43 percent.
