The presence of clouds this time of year can make a significant difference for the air temperature near the ground. The featured chart presents the hourly difference by week of the year for the air temperature when clouds were present versus the average for all cloud coverage amounts. The chart nicely shows a strong diurnal and annual signal. Some of the largest positive departures can be found during the early morning hours this time of year. Clouds help trap heat near the ground and thus buoy temperatures during night time hours. The effect is negative during the daytime as clouds reflect solar energy, preventing it from heating the ground and subsequently the near ground air.

Voting:
Good = 11
Bad = 1

Tags:   clouds  

Tags:   clouds