Where Central New York Ranks Among the ‘Gloomiest’ Spots in the U.S.

Winters in Central New York can be perceived as pretty gloomy and depressing. And a new study puts our gloom in perspective against other regions of the country.

BestPlaces.net ranked the 50 biggest cities in the U.S. from most to least gloomy. Their rankings are based on a wintry mix of (1) the percentage of cloud cover, (2) average hours of daylight, and (3) the total number of days with precipitation. Seattle and Portland, Oregon finished 1-2 in the study and Buffalo was #3. If the Mohawk Valley had a larger population, it probably would rank near the top in Gloom.

Even though Syracuse and Utica and Rome were too small for THIS study, you can type in any zip code or any city here to see its 'climate comfort' index. Our climate in the Mohawk Valley is a LITTLE worse than Buffalo's and a lot WORSE than San Diego's. On the bright side: it's way BETTER than Anchorage, Alaska's. (You can also compare the climates of TWO different U.S. cities here.)

The latest gloomy outlook for CNY goes hand-in-hand with these recent posts:

• It's colder in CNY than it is in Alaska
• How to enjoy a long, cold CNY winter
• CNY's Official Winter Sport: Complaining About the Weather

Gloomy climates with lower amounts of sunlight can increase the risk of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the symptoms of which include depression, low energy, disruption of sleep patterns, and reduced levels of serotonin and melatonin.