Sunniest States by NOAA Clear-Sky Frequency
States ranked by how often NOAA hourly observations report clear sky, 1991–2020 cloud-cover normals, not sunshine-hours, which NOAA's normals dataset does not publish.
Data updated July 2026
Arizona has the clearest skies of any ranked U.S. state - 71.3% of NOAA hourly observations report clear sky (1991–2020 normals).
Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas lead at 71.3%, 64.5%, 61.1% clear-sky frequency respectively. This ranking uses cloud-cover observations from 394 cities with NOAA hourly normals, a measured frequency of clear skies, not sunshine-hours. Per-state sample sizes are shown in the table.
The clearest-sky U.S. states, the verdict
Arizona tops the clear-sky ranking - 71.3% of NOAA hourly observations across its 7 measured station-mapped locations report clear sky, against only 6.1% overcast.
- 71.3%
- clear-sky frequency - Arizona
- 47
- states ranked (2+ measured locations each)
- 1991–2020
- NOAA hourly cloud-cover normals window
Clear-sky frequency is measured from cloud-cover observations, a different (and rarer) basis than the sunshine-hours estimates most lists reuse.
The bar to make the top-12 clearest-sky states
Where the #12 clear-sky frequency sits among ranked states (2+ measured locations)
51.8% List threshold 51.8% clear is the lowest clear-sky share that still makes the top 12 (47 ranked states)
- 15.0%–20.0%: 2 ranked states (4%). Below this entry.
- 20.0%–25.0%: 1 ranked states (2%). Below this entry.
- 25.0%–30.0%: 1 ranked states (2%). Below this entry.
- 30.0%–35.0%: 4 ranked states (9%). Below this entry.
- 35.0%–40.0%: 11 ranked states (23%). Below this entry.
- 40.0%–45.0%: 7 ranked states (15%). Below this entry.
- 45.0%–50.0%: 8 ranked states (17%). Below this entry.
- 50.0%–55.0%: 4 ranked states (9%). This entry sits in this band.
- 55.0%–60.0%: 6 ranked states (13%). Above this entry.
- 60.0%–65.0%: 2 ranked states (4%). Above this entry.
- 65.0%–70.0%: 0 ranked states (0%). Above this entry.
- 70.0%–75.0%: 1 ranked states (2%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (hourly cloud-cover) · 1991–2020
States ranked by clear-sky frequency
| # | State | Clear-Sky % | Overcast % | Cities Measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona (AZ) | 71.3% | 6.1% | 7 |
| 2 | New Mexico (NM) | 64.5% | 9.5% | 7 |
| 3 | Kansas (KS) | 61.1% | 18.4% | 9 |
| 4 | California (CA) | 59.4% | 12.4% | 27 |
| 5 | Nevada (NV) | 59.0% | 12.1% | 8 |
| 6 | Wyoming (WY) | 58.6% | 16.7% | 7 |
| 7 | Colorado (CO) | 58.1% | 11.9% | 11 |
| 8 | Nebraska (NE) | 57.9% | 20.4% | 9 |
| 9 | Idaho (ID) | 55.0% | 22.3% | 3 |
| 10 | South Dakota (SD) | 54.3% | 24.2% | 5 |
| 11 | North Dakota (ND) | 52.1% | 24.9% | 5 |
| 12 | Mississippi (MS) | 51.8% | 21.2% | 4 |
| 13 | Arkansas (AR) | 50.9% | 21.9% | 6 |
| 14 | Oklahoma (OK) | 49.5% | 19.9% | 5 |
| 15 | Montana (MT) | 49.3% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 16 | Texas (TX) | 48.1% | 17.5% | 24 |
| 17 | Iowa (IA) | 47.9% | 27.8% | 7 |
| 18 | Georgia (GA) | 47.8% | 19.1% | 11 |
| 19 | Alabama (AL) | 46.6% | 21.3% | 7 |
| 20 | Oregon (OR) | 46.3% | 27.2% | 11 |
| 21 | Missouri (MO) | 45.9% | 25.4% | 7 |
| 22 | Minnesota (MN) | 44.6% | 29.2% | 11 |
| 23 | New Hampshire (NH) | 44.6% | 28.5% | 2 |
| 24 | Louisiana (LA) | 43.8% | 21.7% | 6 |
| 25 | New Jersey (NJ) | 43.0% | 24.9% | 4 |
| 26 | Utah (UT) | 43.0% | 17.3% | 2 |
| 27 | South Carolina (SC) | 41.7% | 19.8% | 5 |
| 28 | Maine (ME) | 40.5% | 33.6% | 3 |
| 29 | Kentucky (KY) | 39.8% | 29.6% | 6 |
| 30 | Washington (WA) | 39.7% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 31 | West Virginia (WV) | 39.6% | 29.1% | 7 |
| 32 | Wisconsin (WI) | 39.4% | 32.1% | 6 |
| 33 | Illinois (IL) | 39.0% | 29.5% | 9 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 37.1% | 31.3% | 11 |
| 35 | North Carolina (NC) | 36.6% | 22.1% | 9 |
| 36 | Connecticut (CT) | 36.3% | 28.5% | 2 |
| 37 | Indiana (IN) | 36.1% | 32.0% | 5 |
| 38 | Michigan (MI) | 35.3% | 33.4% | 16 |
| 39 | Virginia (VA) | 35.0% | 23.6% | 9 |
| 40 | Florida (FL) | 34.3% | 12.0% | 16 |
| 41 | Tennessee (TN) | 33.1% | 26.6% | 5 |
| 42 | Vermont (VT) | 31.8% | 36.4% | 2 |
| 43 | Ohio (OH) | 30.7% | 35.4% | 10 |
| 44 | New York (NY) | 26.9% | 34.4% | 12 |
| 45 | Alaska (AK) | 20.0% | 43.5% | 26 |
| 46 | Maryland (MD) | 17.5% | 25.1% | 2 |
| 47 | Hawaii (HI) | 15.4% | 12.9% | 6 |
How this ranking is built, and what it is not
This ranking is built from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) 1991–2020 hourly climate normals, which record how often observers logged clear, and overcast, sky conditions at each station. For every station-mapped location with hourly normals, we average its twelve monthly clear-sky frequencies into an annual figure, then average across each state's measured locations. It is a clear-sky observation frequency, not sunshine-hours - NOAA's normals dataset does not publish sunshine-hours, and lists claiming to rank "sunshine" usually reuse modeled estimates. The full derivation is documented in our methodology.
Coverage and exclusions
Only 394 of our 6,861 tracked station-mapped locations carry NOAA hourly cloud-cover normals, so per-state samples are small and shown in the table. States with fewer than two measured locations are not ranked: Rhode Island (1 city) and Massachusetts (1 city); Delaware has no hourly-normals city at all. A state average built this way reflects its measured stations, weighted toward where hourly stations exist, treat close rankings as ties.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What clear-sky frequency tells you
Clear skies, warmth, and comfort are three different rankings.
- A clear-sky state is not automatically a warm one, compare against the hottest states ranked by temperature. Hottest states
- Sun plus mild temperatures is what most people mean by "good weather" - the comfort ranking blends both. Most comfortable
- For a specific city's monthly clear-sky and humidity figures, open its city page (hourly-normals cities only). Browse by state
NOAA 1991–2020 hourly normals are typical-year observation frequencies, not forecasts, and exclude post-2020 trends.
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020), hourly cloud-cover normals. For informational purposes only.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the clearest-sky U.S. state? ▼
Why are some states missing from this ranking? ▼
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on NOAA 1991-2020 hourly cloud-cover normals, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.