NASA sunlight data for Canada and the United States

Solar Camera Sun Hours by City: Winter Ranking

How much sun does your area get in the darkest month of the year? That number is one important factor in whether a solar security camera can keep itself charged through winter, along with the camera's battery, its panel and how often it records. We pulled NASA's long-term monthly sunlight averages for 249 places in Canada and the US and ranked them by their worst month.

A peak sun hour is one hour of full-strength sunlight on a flat surface. More is better, and the dimmest month matters most. Select any place for its full month-by-month guide, or check your own address with the Solar Winter Check.

Country Province or state 249 places

Under 1 h
1 to 2 h
2 to 3.5 h
3.5 h and up

Drag to turn the globe. Select a dot to open that place's guide.

Winter sun ranking: all 249 places

Ranked by average peak sun hours a day in each place's dimmest month. 1 is the sunniest.

Rank	Place	Dimmest month	Sunniest month	Yearly average
1	Honolulu, Hawaii	3.93Dec	7.09 Jun	5.68
2	Miami, Florida	3.44Dec	6.25 May	5.01
3	Cape Coral, Florida	3.41Dec	6.45 May	5.03
4	El Paso, Texas	3.40Dec	8.13 Jun	5.90
5	Tampa, Florida	3.29Dec	6.81 May	5.12
6	Tucson, Arizona	3.25Dec	8.32 Jun	5.79
7	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	3.25Dec	6.09 May	4.83
8	Yuma, Arizona	3.25Dec	8.42 Jun	5.97
9	Las Cruces, New Mexico	3.23Dec	8.01 Jun	5.75
10	Odessa, Texas	3.22Dec	7.67 Jun	5.58
11	Port St. Lucie, Florida	3.16Dec	6.37 May	4.95
12	Midland, Texas	3.15Dec	7.86 Jun	5.59
13	El Cajon, California	3.14Dec	8.30 Jun	5.82
14	Orlando, Florida	3.12Dec	6.48 May	4.87
15	Phoenix, Arizona	3.08Dec	8.50 Jun	5.85
16	Mesa, Arizona	3.04Dec	8.50 Jun	5.80
17	Laredo, Texas	3.04Dec	6.99 Jun	5.11
18	San Angelo, Texas	3.03Dec	7.29 Jun	5.22
19	Gainesville, Florida	3.02Dec	6.61 May	4.86
20	McAllen, Texas	3.01Dec	6.92 Jun	5.07
21	Lubbock, Texas	2.95Dec	7.60 Jun	5.35
22	San Bernardino, California	2.94Dec	8.39 Jun	5.78
23	Palm Coast, Florida	2.93Dec	6.44 May	4.77
24	San Diego, California	2.92Dec	6.14 Apr	4.91
25	Anaheim, California	2.91Dec	7.38 Jul	5.42
26	Los Angeles, California	2.86Dec	8.10 Jun	5.65
27	Abilene, Texas	2.85Dec	7.20 Jun	5.10
28	Albuquerque, New Mexico	2.83Dec	8.10 Jun	5.53
29	Long Beach, California	2.83Dec	6.55 May	5.04
30	Brownsville, Texas	2.82Dec	6.52 Jun	4.85
31	San Antonio, Texas	2.80Dec	6.69 Jul	4.84
32	Corpus Christi, Texas	2.79Dec	6.63 Jun	4.87
33	Tallahassee, Florida	2.79Dec	6.52 May	4.78
34	Oxnard, California	2.78Dec	7.87 Jun	5.51
35	Jacksonville, Florida	2.76Dec	6.53 May	4.79
36	Austin, Texas	2.74Dec	6.73 Jul	4.81
37	Killeen, Texas	2.72Dec	6.81 Jul	4.81
38	Santa Maria, California	2.72Dec	7.04 Jun	5.09
39	Amarillo, Texas	2.71Dec	7.58 Jun	5.22
40	Fort Worth, Texas	2.70Dec	6.87 Jul	4.84
41	Wichita Falls, Texas	2.69Dec	7.07 Jun	4.97
42	Mobile, Alabama	2.68Dec	6.54 May	4.81
43	Las Vegas, Nevada	2.66Dec	8.52 Jun	5.61
44	New Orleans, Louisiana	2.66Dec	6.36 May	4.74
45	College Station, Texas	2.65Dec	6.58 Jun	4.74
46	Houston, Texas	2.64Dec	6.29 Jun	4.65
47	North Charleston, South Carolina	2.64Dec	6.53 May	4.80
48	Savannah, Georgia	2.62Dec	6.33 May	4.69
49	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	2.61Dec	6.21 May	4.67
50	Denton, Texas	2.60Dec	6.86 Jun	4.81
51	Dallas, Texas	2.59Dec	6.73 Jul	4.71
52	Lafayette, Louisiana	2.59Dec	6.13 May	4.62
53	Conroe, Texas	2.58Dec	6.35 Jun	4.65
54	Macon, Georgia	2.53Dec	6.32 May	4.65
55	Tyler, Texas	2.52Dec	6.61 Jul	4.65
56	Beaumont, Texas	2.52Dec	6.23 Jun	4.58
57	Columbus, Georgia	2.51Dec	6.31 May	4.61
58	Plano, Texas	2.50Dec	6.67 Jul	4.64
59	Charleston, South Carolina	2.49Dec	6.54 May	4.70
60	Bakersfield, California	2.48Dec	8.51 Jun	5.58
61	Augusta, Georgia	2.48Dec	6.38 Jun	4.62
62	Colorado Springs, Colorado	2.44Dec	7.42 Jun	5.03
63	Montgomery, Alabama	2.43Dec	6.26 May	4.61
64	Columbia, South Carolina	2.43Dec	6.43 Jun	4.56
65	Jackson, Mississippi	2.43Dec	6.56 Jun	4.64
66	Shreveport, Louisiana	2.42Dec	6.40 Jun	4.56
67	Athens, Georgia	2.42Dec	6.26 Jun	4.56
68	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	2.40Dec	6.92 Jun	4.74
69	St. George, Utah	2.40Dec	8.44 Jun	5.40
70	Salinas, California	2.39Dec	8.05 Jun	5.27
71	Wilmington, North Carolina	2.38Dec	6.46 Jun	4.60
72	Atlanta, Georgia	2.37Dec	6.19 Jun	4.51
73	Lakewood, Colorado	2.37Dec	7.05 Jun	4.74
74	Raleigh, North Carolina	2.31Dec	6.41 Jun	4.47
75	Birmingham, Alabama	2.30Dec	6.20 Jun	4.48
76	Tuscaloosa, Alabama	2.30Dec	6.34 Jun	4.51
77	Charlotte, North Carolina	2.29Dec	6.46 Jun	4.47
78	Denver, Colorado	2.29Dec	7.22 Jun	4.85
79	High Point, North Carolina	2.29Dec	6.37 Jun	4.44
80	Little Rock, Arkansas	2.28Dec	6.48 Jun	4.44
81	Fresno, California	2.24Dec	8.46 Jun	5.44
82	Wichita, Kansas	2.23Dec	6.95 Jun	4.62
83	Virginia Beach, Virginia	2.18Dec	6.37 Jun	4.35
84	Tulsa, Oklahoma	2.18Dec	6.70 Jun	4.48
85	San Jose, California	2.17Dec	8.33 Jun	5.32
86	Greensboro, North Carolina	2.17Dec	6.34 Jun	4.34
87	Huntsville, Alabama	2.17Dec	6.34 Jun	4.43
88	Knoxville, Tennessee	2.17Dec	6.14 Jun	4.31
89	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	2.14Dec	6.27 Jun	4.30
90	Fort Collins, Colorado	2.14Dec	7.03 Jun	4.58
91	Fayetteville, Arkansas	2.14Dec	6.66 Jun	4.43
92	Oakland, California	2.13Dec	7.28 Jun	4.74
93	Modesto, California	2.13Dec	8.39 Jun	5.35
94	Memphis, Tennessee	2.09Dec	6.61 Jun	4.42
95	Greeley, Colorado	2.09Dec	7.26 Jun	4.72
96	Richmond, Virginia	2.07Dec	6.35 Jun	4.27
97	San Francisco, California	2.05Dec	6.85 Jun	4.37
98	Newport News, Virginia	2.05Dec	6.42 Jun	4.31
99	Chattanooga, Tennessee	2.04Dec	6.29 Jun	4.29
100	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	2.04Dec	6.37 Jun	4.32
101	Springfield, Missouri	2.03Dec	6.64 Jun	4.34
102	Reno, Nevada	2.02Dec	8.27 Jun	5.23
103	Overland Park, Kansas	2.01Dec	6.58 Jun	4.31
104	Santa Rosa, California	2.01Dec	8.14 Jun	5.14
105	Sacramento, California	1.97Dec	8.29 Jun	5.23
106	Topeka, Kansas	1.95Dec	6.57 Jun	4.30
107	Clarksville, Tennessee	1.93Dec	6.42 Jun	4.25
108	Nashville, Tennessee	1.92Dec	6.34 Jun	4.23
109	Washington, District of Columbia	1.91Dec	6.20 Jun	4.12
110	Columbia, Missouri	1.91Dec	6.54 Jun	4.24
111	Kansas City, Missouri	1.90Dec	6.49 Jun	4.23
112	Lincoln, Nebraska	1.89Dec	6.63 Jun	4.31
113	Salt Lake City, Utah	1.86Dec	7.81 Jun	4.80
114	Chico, California	1.86Dec	8.32 Jul	5.11
115	Evansville, Indiana	1.82Dec	6.44 Jun	4.19
116	St. Louis, Missouri	1.81Dec	6.42 Jun	4.17
117	West Valley City, Utah	1.79Dec	7.81 Jun	4.80
118	Toms River, New Jersey	1.77Dec	6.17 Jul	4.06
119	Baltimore, Maryland	1.75Dec	6.20 Jun	4.04
120	Omaha, Nebraska	1.72Dec	6.58 Jul	4.19
121	Louisville, Kentucky	1.67Dec	6.30 Jun	4.05
122	Lexington, Kentucky	1.67Dec	6.27 Jun	4.06
123	Des Moines, Iowa	1.67Dec	6.38 Jul	4.09
124	Springfield, Illinois	1.65Dec	6.40 Jun	4.11
125	Newark, New Jersey	1.62Dec	6.03 Jul	3.92
126	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	1.61Dec	6.67 Jul	4.11
127	New York, New York	1.59Dec	6.18 Jul	4.01
128	Peoria, Illinois	1.59Dec	6.40 Jul	4.06
129	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1.56Dec	5.99 Jul	3.86
130	Indianapolis, Indiana	1.56Dec	6.28 Jun	4.00
131	Providence, Rhode Island	1.55Dec	6.16 Jul	3.99
132	Cincinnati, Ohio	1.54Dec	6.20 Jun	3.99
133	New Haven, Connecticut	1.54Dec	6.02 Jul	3.91
134	Cedar Rapids, Iowa	1.54Dec	6.33 Jul	4.03
135	Fishers, Indiana	1.53Dec	6.24 Jun	3.99
136	Davenport, Iowa	1.52Dec	6.28 Jul	3.99
137	Bridgeport, Connecticut	1.50Dec	6.04 Jul	3.87
138	New Bedford, Massachusetts	1.50Dec	6.01 Jul	3.91
139	Boston, Massachusetts	1.49Dec	5.96 Jul	3.81
140	Columbus, Ohio	1.48Dec	6.11 Jun	3.92
141	Aurora, Illinois	1.46Dec	6.22 Jul	3.90
142	Rockford, Illinois	1.43Dec	6.26 Jul	3.92
143	Chicago, Illinois	1.41Dec	6.16 Jul	3.84
144	Springfield, Massachusetts	1.41Dec	5.95 Jul	3.78
145	Elgin, Illinois	1.40Dec	6.25 Jul	3.87
146	Boise, Idaho	1.39Dec	7.74 Jul	4.56
147	Billings, Montana	1.39Dec	7.09 Jul	4.12
148	Lynn, Massachusetts	1.39Dec	6.03 Jul	3.82
149	South Bend, Indiana	1.33Dec	6.15 Jul	3.81
150	Madison, Wisconsin	1.32Dec	6.22 Jul	3.85
151	Minneapolis, Minnesota	1.31Dec	6.40 Jul	3.86
152	Fort Wayne, Indiana	1.31Dec	6.22 Jul	3.82
153	Toledo, Ohio	1.31Dec	6.20 Jul	3.84
154	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1.30Dec	5.87 Jul	3.72
155	Albany, New York	1.30Dec	6.00 Jul	3.74
156	Rochester, Minnesota	1.29Dec	6.33 Jul	3.85
157	Bend, Oregon	1.26Dec	7.72 Jul	4.27
158	Leamington, Ontario	1.25Dec	6.25 Jun	3.78
159	Clinton, Michigan	1.25Dec	6.25 Jun	3.78
160	Windsor, Ontario	1.24Dec	6.22 Jul	3.79
161	Detroit, Michigan	1.24Dec	6.22 Jul	3.79
162	Fargo, North Dakota	1.24Dec	6.48 Jul	3.91
163	Lansing, Michigan	1.20Dec	6.26 Jul	3.79
164	Toronto, Ontario	1.17Dec	6.08 Jun	3.65
165	Saint John, New Brunswick	1.17Dec	5.57 Jul	3.52
166	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1.16Dec	6.11 Jul	3.67
167	St. Thomas, Ontario	1.15Dec	6.33 Jun	3.77
168	Grand Rapids, Michigan	1.15Dec	6.33 Jul	3.77
169	Halifax, Nova Scotia	1.14Dec	5.53 Jun	3.54
170	Cleveland, Ohio	1.14Dec	5.95 Jun	3.63
171	Belleville, Ontario	1.12Dec	6.05 Jul	3.66
172	Green Bay, Wisconsin	1.12Dec	6.11 Jul	3.64
173	Bowmanville, Ontario	1.10Dec	5.91 Jun	3.59
174	Peterborough, Ontario	1.10Dec	6.08 Jul	3.65
175	Kingston, Ontario	1.09Dec	6.02 Jul	3.65
176	Buffalo, New York	1.09Dec	5.89 Jul	3.59
177	Salem, Oregon	1.09Dec	7.13 Jul	3.88
178	Brandon, Manitoba	1.08Dec	6.41 Jul	3.78
179	Woodstock, Ontario	1.07Dec	6.19 Jun	3.71
180	Moncton, New Brunswick	1.06Dec	5.52 Jul	3.41
181	Welland, Ontario	1.06Dec	6.05 Jun	3.65
182	Ottawa, Ontario	1.05Dec	5.89 Jul	3.60
183	Brockville, Ontario	1.05Dec	5.92 Jul	3.59
184	Montreal, Quebec	1.04Dec	5.77 Jul	3.54
185	Norfolk County, Ontario	1.04Dec	6.29 Jun	3.74
186	Rochester, New York	1.04Dec	5.87 Jun	3.56
187	Truro, Nova Scotia	1.03Dec	5.46 Jul	3.40
188	Bradford, Ontario	1.02Dec	6.09 Jul	3.62
189	Lethbridge, Alberta	1.02Dec	7.07 Jul	3.85
190	Pembroke, Ontario	1.02Dec	5.92 Jul	3.57
191	Winnipeg, Manitoba	1.00Dec	6.27 Jul	3.70
192	Joliette, Quebec	1.00Dec	5.72 Jun	3.48
193	Syracuse, New York	1.00Dec	6.00 Jul	3.59
194	Sherbrooke, Quebec	0.99Dec	5.55 Jul	3.43
195	Medicine Hat, Alberta	0.99Dec	6.76 Jul	3.79
196	Victoriaville, Quebec	0.98Dec	5.65 Jun	3.44
197	Portland, Oregon	0.98Dec	6.82 Jul	3.67
198	Greater Sudbury, Ontario	0.97Dec	5.91 Jun	3.52
199	Okotoks, Alberta	0.97Dec	6.83 Jul	3.77
200	Huntsville, Ontario	0.97Dec	5.92 Jul	3.53
201	Mont-Tremblant, Quebec	0.97Dec	5.71 Jun	3.47
202	Swift Current, Saskatchewan	0.97Dec	6.61 Jul	3.76
203	North Bay, Ontario	0.96Dec	5.82 Jun	3.46
204	Elliot Lake, Ontario	0.96Dec	6.05 Jun	3.52
205	Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan	0.95Dec	6.54 Jul	3.75
206	Collingwood, Ontario	0.92Dec	6.10 Jul	3.59
207	Thunder Bay, Ontario	0.89Dec	5.93 Jun	3.43
208	Parry Sound, Ontario	0.89Dec	6.12 Jul	3.55
209	Calgary, Alberta	0.88Dec	6.30 Jul	3.51
210	Kenora, Ontario	0.88Dec	5.99 Jul	3.47
211	Cranbrook, British Columbia	0.88Dec	6.80 Jul	3.59
212	Chicoutimi, Quebec	0.87Dec	5.57 Jun	3.25
213	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario	0.87Dec	6.02 Jul	3.45
214	Rimouski, Quebec	0.87Dec	5.56 Jun	3.30
215	Timmins, Ontario	0.86Dec	5.74 Jun	3.39
216	Spokane, Washington	0.86Dec	7.42 Jul	3.84
217	Seattle, Washington	0.85Dec	6.33 Jul	3.42
218	Red Deer, Alberta	0.84Dec	6.32 Jul	3.60
219	Chilliwack, British Columbia	0.84Dec	6.46 Jul	3.49
220	Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island	0.84Dec	5.61 Jul	3.31
221	Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec	0.84Dec	5.76 Jun	3.33
222	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	0.83Dec	6.26 Jul	3.61
223	Val-d'Or, Quebec	0.83Dec	5.72 Jun	3.33
224	Sept-Îles, Quebec	0.83Dec	5.39 Jun	3.16
225	St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador	0.82Dec	4.99 Jun	3.02
226	Cape Breton, Nova Scotia	0.80Dec	5.48 Jul	3.22
227	Penticton, British Columbia	0.79Dec	6.69 Jul	3.57
228	Saanich, British Columbia	0.77Dec	6.54 Jul	3.48
229	Nelson, British Columbia	0.77Dec	6.62 Jul	3.41
230	Kamloops, British Columbia	0.76Dec	6.55 Jul	3.54
231	Edmonton, Alberta	0.75Dec	6.14 Jul	3.51
232	Lloydminster, Alberta	0.71Dec	6.06 Jul	3.45
233	Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador	0.70Dec	5.10 Jul	2.98
234	Whistler, British Columbia	0.70Dec	5.89 Jul	3.21
235	Vancouver, British Columbia	0.68Dec	6.19 Jul	3.22
236	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan	0.68Dec	5.93 Jul	3.39
237	Courtenay, British Columbia	0.67Dec	6.19 Jul	3.26
238	Vernon, British Columbia	0.66Dec	6.36 Jul	3.38
239	Campbell River, British Columbia	0.60Dec	5.79 Jul	3.01
240	Prince George, British Columbia	0.59Dec	5.97 Jun	3.29
241	Grande Prairie, Alberta	0.53Dec	6.11 Jun	3.30
242	Thompson, Manitoba	0.53Dec	5.73 Jun	3.16
243	Fort McMurray, Alberta	0.45Dec	5.62 Jun	3.08
244	Fort St. John, British Columbia	0.45Dec	6.09 Jun	3.20
245	Prince Rupert, British Columbia	0.41Dec	5.03 Jun	2.65
246	Whitehorse, Yukon	0.19Dec	5.52 Jun	2.72
247	Anchorage, Alaska	0.14Dec	5.32 Jun	2.54
248	Yellowknife, Northwest Territories	0.11Dec	6.05 Jun	2.79
249	Iqaluit, Nunavut	0.08Dec	5.23 May	2.57

How we worked this out

For each place we took NASA POWER's monthly climatology of all-sky solar irradiance on a horizontal surface (ALLSKY_SFC_SW_DWN), a 25-year average for 2001 to 2025, at the town's coordinates. That value, in kWh per square metre per day, equals peak sun hours. NASA's solar data is gridded at roughly 1° (about 100 km), so nearby towns can share the same figures.

Sunlight is one important factor in whether a solar camera stays charged. The camera's power use, battery size, cold, shade and snow on the panel matter too. Each place's guide shows a 5 W panel estimate (5 W × peak sun hours × 0.75) you can compare with a camera's daily power use.

Source: NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), monthly climatology 2001 to 2025, retrieved October 2026. Figures are long-term averages and will not match any single day or week. Rankings are our own calculation.

Solar Camera Sun Hours by City: Winter Ranking

Winter sun ranking: all 249 places

How we worked this out

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Winter sun ranking: all 249 places

How we worked this out