LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When the weather gets cold, you may wait to go outside in the morning because when the sun rises, everything is warmer, right?
Not quite.
Turns out, the coldest part of the day is usually right after the sun comes up.
During the day, the sun sends its rays (and warmth) down to the earth – the technical term for this is “solar radiation”. The earth also radiates heat back out, but not as quickly as the sun, so the temperature on earth goes up.
While the sun stops delivering heat at night, the earth doesn’t stop giving it back. It will continue to radiate heat out, causing the temperature on the earth to drop.
The next morning, as the sun begins to rise, we start getting that solar radiation again – but here’s the catch:
In the time right before sunrise, the sun is still low enough in the sky that the solar radiation is very weak - weaker than the radiating heat from the earth. Therefore, it’s normal for the temperature to keep dropping until the sun gets a bit higher in the sky.
Regardless of where the sun is in the sky, be sure to grab those extra layers when you head out the door.
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