Yuma, Arizona, named earth’s sunniest city by World Meteorological Organisation

Yuma, Arizona, enjoys more than 4000 hours of sunshine a year and has been named the world’s sunniest city by the World Meteorological Organisation. Photo / Getty Images

If you don’t like rain, snow, or getting cold, you might just love this city. But after 4000 hours of annual sunshine, you might just hate it.

The World Meteorological Organisation has named Yuma, Arizona, United States, the sunniest place on earth.

With more than 13 hours of sunlight per day during the summer and 11 in the winter, Yuma basks in more than 4000 hours of sunshine every year.

Because of this, the bright city has a sunny atmosphere and warm weather all year long, making it a great place for travellers who want to avoid cold winters.

While relatively unheard of, the sunny spot is the 11th largest city in Arizona and is nestled between Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California, creating a diverse cultural scene for locals and visitors alike.

Yuma is also renowned as the winter vegetable capital of the world. Because of the generous sunlight it receives every year, agriculture is Yuma’s top industry, growing more than 175 types of crops and producing 91 per cent of leafy vegetables eaten in North America during the winter season.

Yuma, Arizona is the sunniest place on earth. Photo / 123rf

However, locals have warned interested individuals against flocking to the sunny city because it’s not as idyllic as one might presume.

The city spends 91 per cent of its year with the sun beating down, and the city experiences an arid climate, similar to a desert, with less than 200mm rainfall per year and temperatures regularly exceeding 40C.

In fact, the sunny facade can be deceiving.

A recent Reddit thread about Yuma had locals and tourists sharing their personal experiences in the city.

TIL Yuma, Arizona is known as the sunniest city on earth. They have more than 4000 sunlight hours a year, meaning at least 90% of their year consists of sunny days.
by u/Soupdeloup in todayilearned

One of the most upvoted comments said: “‘Sunny’ makes it sound all nice. In actual fact, you’re just kind of slowly baking to death.”

Another commenter said: “I lived in AZ for 7 years after coming from the northeast. It is kinda surreal: there is no weather. The weather is hot or less-hot.”

Despite being the sunniest city on earth, Yuma is not the hottest place in the world. The aptly named Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, holds that record with a daily high average temperature of 45C during the summer.

Yuman residents and tourists avoiding cold winters often spend their days outdoors, entertaining themselves on the Colorado River and lakes, tubing, canoeing and boating, or hiking and biking at the Imperial Sand Dunes.

If you’d like to join them, the journey from Auckland to Yuma takes about 22 hours and requires taking three flights. Pack sunscreen.