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I don't live in West Virginia, but I have driven THROUGH West Virginia many times and the dozen or so times I've driven through, it was cloudy and gloomy as if it about to rain or just got finished raining?
Is their some scientific reason behind it? like the coal mining, the trees, the mountains?
Like around Mcdowell County, Raleigh County etc
I would honestly be depressed living in West Virginia from the sights and the weather.
I don't live in West Virginia, but I have driven THROUGH West Virginia many times and the dozen or so times I've driven through, it was cloudy and gloomy as if it about to rain or just got finished raining?
Is their some scientific reason behind it? like the coal mining, the trees, the mountains?
Like around Mcdowell County, Raleigh County etc
I would honestly be depressed living in West Virginia from the sights and the weather.
I think it depends where you are in the state. I used to live in Beckley (Raleigh County) and I noticed more rainy days than anywhere else I've lived. I've also heard the same among WVU students in Morgantown. I wouldn't say it was ever enough to make me depressed, though.
In contrast, the Eastern Panhandle (where I live now) is noticeably more sunny and bright. In fact, we often have drought conditions in the summer months.
As far as a scientific reason, I don't know. Maybe somebody else has a better response on that. This list puts WV in 19th for average yearly rainfall. It's worth noting how close that ranking is to our neighbors PA, VA, MD (22nd, 23rd, 24th):
When in the Army, we would train in WA at Ft. Lewis. It was sort of a running joke that that by going to Lewis (PNW) from WV, we were going to get more sunny days.
Although it can vary a bit year to year, Pittsburgh PA is the cloudiest city in the US with only 59 days of sunshine. Morgantown is only 1.5 hours away and gets similar weather. This article states the northern jetstream tends to be parked over western PA for much of the year. Not sure about the rest of WV but overall it is cloudy and rains quite a bit here.
It depends on where you are in the state - Charleston and southern West Virginia (where I grew up) can be quite cloudy but still pales in comparison to that of Morgantown. I remember it seemed like there was constant cloud cover and gloom from November through April and even a lot in the summer during my college years there. It has something to do with proximity to the mountains / Great Lakes, etc but it is certainly noticeable. Pittsburgh and Western PA are very cloudy too. I remember moving to the DC area and being amazed at how sunny it is during the winter. The Eastern Panhandle is on the other side of the Appalachians and tends to get more sun as well.
I don't live in West Virginia, but I have driven THROUGH West Virginia many times and the dozen or so times I've driven through, it was cloudy and gloomy as if it about to rain or just got finished raining?
Is their some scientific reason behind it? like the coal mining, the trees, the mountains?
Like around Mcdowell County, Raleigh County etc
I would honestly be depressed living in West Virginia from the sights and the weather.
It's winter, it's typically cloudy in the winter. No big difference from anywhere else in the region. Also, this seems like a ****-post or troll. You say the sights in WV are depressing....WV is one of the most scenic states on the east coast. You also somehow blame cloudiness on coal mining?
It's winter, it's typically cloudy in the winter. No big difference from anywhere else in the region. Also, this seems like a ****-post or troll. You say the sights in WV are depressing....WV is one of the most scenic states on the east coast. You also somehow blame cloudiness on coal mining?
It is different though- Morgantown and many parts of West Virginia are considerably cloudier than places to the East of the mountains in Maryland, Virginia, NC, etc. The state is absolutely beautiful in winter even with the clouds so that I will obviously disagree with on the OP.
It's the mountains. While the Appalachians aren't as tall as the Rockies, they're still tall enough to affect weather patterns by forcing warm moist air to rise over them. As the air cools, the moisture condenses into clouds and eventually rain/snow. There's also a lot more moisture being pushed over them compared to out west due to the Gulf of Mexico.
It is different though- Morgantown and many parts of West Virginia are considerably cloudier than places to the East of the mountains in Maryland, Virginia, NC, etc. The state is absolutely beautiful in winter even with the clouds so that I will obviously disagree with on the OP.
This is at a national level. There are maps that include county and local levels. It's googleable.
This is at a national level. There are maps that include county and local levels. It's googleable.
Yes, it is- and if one googled the number of cloudy days in Morgantown or Pittsburgh versus somewhere like DC, Richmond, Raleigh, etc they would find it is considerably higher.
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