GR - are these comparisons right?

[waazzuup]

I remember a long time ago someone posted something like...GR gets just as much sunshine as Alaska, just as much rain as Seattle and just as much wind as Chicago. I'm way off on the quote, but you get the idea. So anyways, I was just thinking about it and decided to look up some stats. Are these stats/forms of measurement fair?

Grand Rapids gets a similar annual amount of sunshine (per number of daylight hours) to Anchorage, Alaska.

http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/ccd/pctpos98.html

Grand Rapids gets a similar amount of annual precipitation to Seattle.

http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normrain.html

Grand Rapids

[witulski]

Grand Rapids gets a similar amount of annual precipitation to Seattle.

http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normrain.html

[jas49503]

I remember a long time ago someone posted something like...GR gets just as much sunshine as Alaska, just as much rain as Seattle and just as much wind as Chicago. I'm way off on the quote, but you get the idea. So anyways, I was just thinking about it and decided to look up some stats. Are these stats/forms of measurement fair?

Grand Rapids gets a similar annual amount of sunshine (per number of daylight hours) to Anchorage, Alaska.

http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/ccd/pctpos98.html

Grand Rapids gets a similar amount of annual precipitation to Seattle.

http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normrain.html

Grand Rapids

[RustTown]

The Windy City moniker doesn't come from its weather, but it's blustery politicians.

[GRDadof3]

having lived in chicago I would say that GR is just as windy. I think that the windy city gets it's name from how the wind blows through downtown. just a guess as I don't know the orgin of the nick name. The region as a whole doesn't really seem that windy. at least compared to other midwest areas.

[monsoon]

The Windy City moniker doesn't come from its weather, but it's blustery politicians.

[cheshireguy]

"On the sunshine comparison, all points on the planet get the same amount of exposure to the sun over the course of a year. It's the cloud cover that makes the difference. "

Really? I didn't know that. Interesting!

[fotoman311]

"On the sunshine comparison, all points on the planet get the same amount of exposure to the sun over the course of a year. It's the cloud cover that makes the difference. "

Really? I didn't know that. Interesting!

[waazzuup]

I'd agree that the windy city moniker probably mainly applies to the downtown (Loop specifically). I'd bet if there are anonemeters in downtown Chicago, they register a healthy wind traveling through those urban canyons year round.

But I don't think it has anything to do with West Michigan's desire to be more "green". That has more to do with the Big 3 furniture makers going green first, and that culture trickling into other design industries in the area. I don't know of one company in the area that sought LEED Certification for a building project because of the weather here, other than for energy efficiency first.

There are still a lot of people in this area that don't believe in global warming. Just read letters to the GR Press editor, or listen to the meteorologists at WOODTV.

[jbr12]

I'd say no, especially considering that it takes more energy to cool a building then it does to heat a building...

Due to the electronics on our office, even when its 40 outside, we have the A/C on.

[GRDadof3]

Monsoon, I don't know if you meant it this way, but your statement makes it sound like the only reason the arctic areas are cold is because they have more clouds, which isn't true at all. While all areas of the earth get roughly the same amount of time that the sun is above the horizon, the angle of that sunlight makes a huge difference in how much light and heat the area receives from the sunlight, without even taking into consideration the cloud cover.

This article explains it pretty well:

http://cseligman.com/text/sky/climate.htm

[coolbrezze]

All areas of the earth don't have the same amount of time that the sun is above the horizon. Where you are on the planet by latitude totally affects how much sunlight you get per day, not just cloud cover. Take a look at sunrise/sunsets this week for three cities:

Grand Rapids 8:14 - 5:20 = about 9 hours

Orlando 7:18 - 5:41 = about 10 hours, 20 minutes

Anchorage 10:15 - 3:50 = about 5 1/2 hours

Since the earth is tilted and the sun is lower than the equator right now, the further South you go, the longer the days are. The curvature of the earth obscures the sun more and more as you move North.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/aboutastronomy.html

[GRDadof3]

Hmmm... that's interesting but from my understanding there is a period in Alaska ( not sure the area, nor size) where it's daylight 24'7 ( the entire day). It was even discuss/ experience on the television show "Man vs Wild".

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Not only is Grand Rapids being very green, but Lansing as well. So I'm not sure if it would be accurate to say those are the reasons of Grand Rapids being more green.

[fotoman311]

All areas of the earth don't have the same amount of time that the sun is above the horizon. Where you are on the planet by latitude totally affects how much sunlight you get per day, not just cloud cover. Take a look at sunrise/sunsets this week for three cities:

Grand Rapids 8:14 - 5:20 = about 9 hours

Orlando 7:18 - 5:41 = about 10 hours, 20 minutes

Anchorage 10:15 - 3:50 = about 5 1/2 hours

Since the earth is tilted and the sun is lower than the equator right now, the further South you go, the longer the days are. The curvature of the earth obscures the sun more and more as you move North.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/aboutastronomy.html