TOLEDO, Ohio — Have gray days got you feeling some sorta way? Are people constantly telling you to turn that frown upside down? If so, chances are you live in one of three metropolitan areas in Ohio that are ranked in the Top 10 Gloomiest Cities in the US by move.org.
Toledo comes in at No. 10 on the list - which was created by looking at climate data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to see which of the US’s most populated cities get the most cloud cover.
Despite the Glass City's Top 10 ranking, you will do better in Toledo than in two other baleful Buckeye cities. Columbus is ranked No. 8 and Cleveland is No. 5.
And while the Steel City can boast far more championships than its rival city Cleveland, the fact that it's one higher on the gloomy list at No. 4 is one title it just might want to cede.
According to NOAA data, Toledo has 185 cloud-cover days per year, Columbus has 190 and Cleveland has 202.
The survey said, "Toledo is the last city on our list and the third Ohio city to show up in our rankings. The city sees an average of 185 cloudy days every year, meaning that Toledo’s weather is at least a little gloomy more than half of the time."
But rather than looking at this as a negative, why not change "gloomy" to "cozy" and celebrate our cloudy days as great for curling up in front of the fireplace with a book, loved one, or pet, or pulling on your favorite nubby sweater or scarf? You WILL do better in Toledo (but maybe consider a Vitamin D boost and take advantage of the sun when you see it). It's all about perspective.
The Top 10 most gloomy cities on the list are:
1. Anchorage, Alaska (239 cloud cover days per year)
2. Portland, Oregon (222 cloud cover days per year)
3. Buffalo, New York (208 cloud cover days per year)
4. Pittsburgh (203 cloud cover days per year)
5. Cleveland (202 cloud cover days per year)
6. Seattle (201 cloud cover days per year)
7. Spokane, Washington (191 cloud cover days per year)
8. Columbus (190 cloud cover days per year)
9. Fort Wayne, Indiana (186 cloud cover days per year)
10. Toledo (185 cloud cover days per year)
To gather the rankings, move.org looked exclusively at the 72 most populous cities in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The rankings were based on annual cloud cover as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
To see the full list of 72 cities ranked, visit this link.
Conversely, move.org included the list of least gloomy cities across the United States, bast on days with the least cloud cover. They are:
1. Phoenix (70 cloud cover days per year)
2. El Paso, Texas (72 cloud cover days per year)
3. Las Vegas (73 cloud over days per year)
4. Tucson, Arizona (81 cloud cover days per year)
5. Long Beach, California (87 cloud cover days per year)
6. Albuquerque, New Mexico (87 cloud cover days per year)
7. Winslow, Arizona (89 cloud cover days per year)
8. Bakersfield, California (93 cloud cover days per year)
9. Honolulu, Hawaii (94 cloud cover days per year)
10. Fresno, California (98 cloud cover days per year)
If any of those 10 looks like good vacation spots to you, be sure to send us a postcard and think about your gloomy Midwestern friends.
