How is it so hot during summer nights compared to winter nights even though in both instances the sun is not here to keep it that way?

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So I live in Poland, it’s midnight and it’s currently 23 degrees Celcius. What I’m wondering is how come it’s still so hot even though there is no sun to keep it that way (mind you, it’s cooler than it was during the day)? It almost feels like there is something in the air that holds the temperature better.

In: Physics

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It stays warmer because 1) it was heated up more during the day and 2) because water was heated.

1) It gets hotter during the day in summer because sunlight is more direct due to the angle of the earth relative to the sun.

2) Water holds a lot of heat and tends to mitigate large temperature swings. So a place with more water will stay warmer at night. That thing in the air that you feel is probably humidity. Warmer weather during the day heats up water in bodies of water (e.g., lakes, rivers) and in the soil, so some of it evaporates. Warmer air can also hold more water vapor in the air.

As an example, compare a desert and a swamp/marsh. The desert will get really hot during the day, but cools off very quickly at night. The desert has very little water to help keep the temperature steady. The swamp may not get as hot as the desert, but it doesn’t cool off as much at night because of all the water.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Compare the temperature of the air and the ground when the sun sets. They will in general be higher in the summer so the night will be warmer.

The night are shorter and the angle to the sun is lower so it deliver more energy during the day and that result in higher average temperature.

For the same cloud situation when it is no wind the rate the temperatur drop is likely a bit higher in the summer because hear is radiated away faster for warmer object. You should look at temperate changes not absolute temperate.

Anonymous 0 Comments

During the summer the sun is at steeper angle in relation to the earth, thereby allowing more UV Rays to be converted into infrared energy stored within the molecules. That infrared energy is stored at higher quantities and is slowly dispersed throughout the night, keeping it warmer.

In the winter, the UV rays are coming in at a more acute angle which allows for less of their energy to be converted into infrared, making the nights colder. Hope that makes sense!

Anonymous 0 Comments

How can you burn your finger on a hot plate when it’s out of the oven? Same reason..it takes a while to cool down.