When it is cloudy, many of the sun's rays never reach the Earth. What does this do to the temperature

Question

Ibrahim Bartlett

Physics

4 May, 22:58

When it is cloudy, many of the sun's rays never reach the Earth. What does this do to the temperature

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Answers (1)

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Rowan Barton · Answer 1

When it is cloudy, many of the sun's rays never reach the Earth. It leads to cooler temperatures.

Explanation:

During the day, the sun warms the earth. When the sky is clear, more heat reaches the earth's surface. This leads to warmer temperatures.

However, when the sky is cloudy, a few drops of clouds reflect some of the sun's rays. As a result, less solar energy can reach Earth's surface, causing Earth to heat up more slowly. This leads to cooler temperatures.

If cloudy skies are forecast when forecasting daytime temperatures, expect lower temperatures than you would expect if clear skies were forecast.

Similarly, cloud cover at night has the opposite effect. When the sky is clear, the heat emitted from the earth's surface freely escapes into space, resulting in cooler temperatures.

However, when there are clouds, some of the heat from the earth's surface is captured by the clouds and returned to the earth. As a result, temperatures drop more slowly than when the sky is clear.