PHOENIX — The sun shines down on Yuma, Arizona 91% of daylight hours every year.
This means roughly 4,055 hours per year with up to 4,456 hours of sun possible. According to the World Record Academy, Yuma has a total of 11 hours of sunlight during the winter and up to 13 hours of sun during the summer, setting the world record for being the “World’s Sunniest Place.”
The World Meteorological Organization notes, that even though Yuma is the sunniest place on Earth, it is not the hottest place on the planet.
That honor goes to Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California. The hottest temperature of 134 degrees was recorded on July 10, 1913. During the summer, Death Valley averages a daily high of 113 degrees.
Yuma averages a daytime high of around 107 degrees during the summertime and 76 degrees from November through February.
In addition, rainfall for the city stays around 3” yearly. Yuma’s weather makes the area an agricultural powerhouse, growing more than 175 types of crops, the largest of which is lettuce.
Around 90% of all leafy vegetables grown from November to March in the US are a result of the abundant sunshine in Yuma.
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