According to the World Meteorological Organization, Yuma (Arizona) is the sunniest place on earth. It has a total of 11 hours of sunlight in winter and up to 13 in summer. This means Yuma experiences an average of 4,015 hours of sunshine per year.
At first this sounds fantastic. But it really isn’t that pleasant, since its 90,000+ inhabitants have to combat an arid climate, typical of the Sonora desert, which it forms part of.
Rainfall does not exceed 200mm per year and temperatures exceed 40°C practically 100 days per year. It is a furnace that would leave you wishing for a winter’s rainy afternoon.
The wide-open spaces in and around Yuma lend themselves perfectly to outdoor adventures in the desert or on the Colorado River. Social distancing? No problem! Fresh air and nature? Lots of it! Sunny and warm weather? Undoubtedly, since Yuma is the Sunniest City on Earth, according to Guinness World Records.
If you want rugged outdoor adventure, Yuma’s the perfect jumping-off spot to hundreds of square miles of wilderness in the Imperial, Kofa and Cibola National Wildlife Refuges. Hiking, mountain biking, camping, bird watching, and learning more about desert plants and animals are all out there for exploring.
If in-town adventures are more to your liking, just steps from downtown, parklands next to the Colorado River are a gleaming necklace, studded with pearls of spacious and beautifully-tended attractions, monuments, beaches, and two must-see historic state parks. You can hike or jog on paved or woodchipped or dirt paths along the riverfront, and there are many family-friendly features such as a playground, beaches, and picnic ramadas. The East and West Wetlands are the pride of Yuma, having been restored to natural habitat from what had been a homeless camp and the city dump in the past century. Now a point of civic pride for local Yumans, the riverfront parks make it easy to experience Yuma naturally!
Credit : Visit Yuma
Picture Credit : Google
