Ahh, Pittsburgh! That explains it. My husband grew up there, and the
family joke was that whenever they went back for a visit, it was always
raining. Thanks for the explanation.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

I'm a bit puzzled by your statement that bright sunny days are at a
premium....I'm in south-central PA, and while it is admittedly a bit
dreary
now (Ha!) in the summer we get our fair share of sunshine. This past
summer, during the drought, all there was were sunny days, an unending
string of them.

Summer time is not a problem, although typical summer days are
hazy rather than sunny. But at least there is plenty of light. Come
autumn though, dark days become the norm. We've lived here 15
years, and the pattern is unmistakable. At least compared to other
places we've been before, Pittsburgh is dark and gloomy. Not
that we mind, but for gardening is not optimal. It's a common
experience when we decide to get away on a weekend to start
seeing the sun as soon as we've traveled 30 miles or so, in any
direction. My wife and I always joke about it ("as soon as we
leave Pittsburgh, the sun comes out..."). The house we are
buying won't be in Pittsburgh proper, but not too far (same
county).