Constant clouds over US Great Lakes area could hurt residents’ mental health

Grand Rapids saw just five minutes of sun in the first week of the year, while January was the cloudiest in Chicago in 129 years

For the 34 million people who call the US's Great Lakes region home, last winter was a particularly gloomy one due to a dearth of sunlight - a reality that could afflict residents' mental health in years to come.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, saw just five minutes of sun during the first eight days of January 2023. The same month was the cloudiest January in Chicago in 129 years. At one stage, the 6.3 million people living in the greater Toronto area didn't see the sun for more than three weeks.