How Many Days Of Sunshine Does Grand Rapids Get?

With the official start of summer right around the corner, it's been a very curious spring. This has been one of the most active tornado seasons in Michigan's history, with the state getting pummeled by 27 confirmed tornadoes. This far exceeds the average number of tornadoes in Michigan, and we're only just entering peak tornado season. West Michigan has seen ~8 tornadoes.

So, why am I bringing this up? Well, with storms come cloudy days, and when we're in the warmer months, sunny days are the highlights of many Michiganders' years. Which got me thinking: how many days of sunlight does Grand Rapids typically receive? Which are the sunniest, and which are the dreariest?

Grand Rapids Sunniest Days

It goes without saying that the fall and winter months of the year are the cloudiest, as these tend to receive the most precipitation, while spring and summer are generally the sunniest times. In Grand Rapids specifically, we can view the breakdown of sunny and overcast days thanks to CurrentResults.com, which uses data from the National Climatic Data Center to view how many days Grand Rapids gets more than 80% cloud cover.

READ MORE: Thundersnow? Snow Rollers? Michigan's Rare Winter Phenomena

Annually, Grand Rapids receives 64 days of sunlight, 96 days with partly sunny conditions, for a total of 160 days of sunlight out of 365 days a year. That leaves Grand Rapids with 46% of its days experiencing some form of sunlight, less than half the year. So, if you think it can be gloomy around GR, there may be some merit to that.

As for a month-by-month breakdown, we can consult Grand Rapids' very own Terri Deboer, who earlier this year provided month-by-month averages after an especially cloudy period: