a scientific question about weather temperatures

[RabbieBurns]

disregarding the Scottish weather where its 4 seasons in a day all year round, a question i have yet to be provided a satisfactory explanation to is this.

 

Why can it be 29 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, one day. And then the next day (or in my example provided, 2 days later) 19 degrees, and just as sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

 

The sun is giving out the same amount of heat / radiation I assume? And the distance from the sun doesn't change dramatically from one day to the next.

 

So where does the heat go?

 

 

I'm sure there's a simple logical / meteorological explanation (and I'm anticipating an answer about high pressure and low pressure as this is what the weather folk talk about)

[DeltaBravo]

I'm no met man, but I think it depends on the air where it comes from, so say the wind is coming from the north, it’s normally colder. Say it’s coming from the south it’s normally warmer.

 

Something along them lines I think

 

A bit more detail:

 

Wind direction, land heats up more easily than water, so if you have a wind blowing in over many kilometeres of land, such as a desert then the air wil heat up before it reaches you, so the temp increase. If the air is blowing over an ocean it will be cooler, or maybe even a snow covered mountain range.

Edited May 10, 2012 by DeltaBravo

[Flatpackhamster]

I'm also not a meteor...metelo...meatoro....weather person, but DeltaBravo is essentially correct. A northerly wind blowing across the UK brings cold arctic air. A southerly one brings warm air. Last week, for example, we had an easterly wind blowing. This comes from Scandiwegia, and is cooler, so the temperature was around 9C. Today it's a westerly, and the temperature is more like 16C even though it's still grey and overcast and raining.

[Earthling]

I'm also not a meteor...metelo...meatoro....weather person, but DeltaBravo is essentially correct. A northerly wind blowing across the UK brings cold arctic air. A southerly one brings warm air. Last week, for example, we had an easterly wind blowing. This comes from Scandiwegia, and is cooler, so the temperature was around 9C. Today it's a westerly, and the temperature is more like 16C even though it's still grey and overcast and raining.

 

Unless, like Rabbie, you happen to live in the southern hemisphere, in which case a southerly wind will be bringing cold Antarctic air.

 

And the water will go down the plughole the other way round, so I'm told.

[denon101]

Unless, like Rabbie, you happen to live in the southern hemisphere, in which case a southerly wind will be bringing cold Antarctic air.

 

And the water will go down the plughole the other way round, so I'm told.

 

Unless you visit the USA Embassy on the Simpsons......

[Andrew_C]

Ahh... but the sea is a huge store of heat. It is air passing over warm oceans that gives rise to hurricanes.

 

But yes; air temperature is not solely linked to the current level of sunshine.

[RabbieBurns]

so that's the difference then simple as that? tomorrow the winds blow from the equator down to us, and the next day they blow from Antarctica up to us?

 

not so scientific after all

 

So while we are here, what has the pressure stuff got to do with things? Is that just to do with how dense the clouds are and if its more likely to rain?

[RabbieBurns]

Unless you visit the USA Embassy on the Simpsons......

 

they would kick my ass if i tried that

[Flatpackhamster]

Unless, like Rabbie, you happen to live in the southern hemisphere, in which case a southerly wind will be bringing cold Antarctic air.

 

And the water will go down the plughole the other way round, so I'm told.

 

Apparently it doesn't.

[Earthling]

Apparently it doesn't.

 

Oh well, another 76 weeks or so (see other thread) and I'll be finding out for myself.

[Flatpackhamster]

so that's the difference then simple as that? tomorrow the winds blow from the equator down to us, and the next day they blow from Antarctica up to us?

 

not so scientific after all

 

So while we are here, what has the pressure stuff got to do with things? Is that just to do with how dense the clouds are and if its more likely to rain?

 

The best I can do is point you to the second, third and fourth paragraphs of this Wikipedia article. Sorry:

 

Pressure system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Andrew_C]

If you have a low and a high pressure area, the air will flow from the high to the low. This air flow will spiral like water in the plug hole. Thus you get wind, cyclonic and anti-cyclonic weather systems.

[RabbieBurns]

Apparently it doesn't.

 

I cant remember what way it goes down the plughole up northern hemisphere.. i just flushed the toiled there and it went to fast to tell. But emptying a full sink it went anticlockwise.

[RabbieBurns]

If you have a low and a high pressure area, the air will flow from the high to the low. This air flow will spiral like water in the plug hole. Thus you get wind, cyclonic and anti-cyclonic weather systems.

 

so a high to a low, depending on the location of the high and the low, will either bring cold air from the cold part of the world, or hot air from a hot part of the world?

[CAM]

As you said, clear skies. At night the clouds help to keep the warmth in like a blanket when turned away from the Sun. Clear skies let the warmth escape so it will be colder and more chance of a morning frost.

 

Oddly enough, snow clouds form a blanket over the sky too but the snow on the ground makes everything behave weirdly anyway. It's freezing cold but a good insulator?

[Flatpackhamster]

I cant remember what way it goes down the plughole up northern hemisphere.. i just flushed the toiled there and it went to fast to tell. But emptying a full sink it went anticlockwise.

 

What you'd be seeing, if it worked, was the Coriolis Effect in action. However, the water needs to be very still for quite some time in order for you to determine the effect. See here:

 

BBC - Bang Goes the Theory - Hands-on science: Plugholes

[Earthling]

I cant remember what way it goes down the plughole up northern hemisphere.. i just flushed the toiled there and it went to fast to tell. But emptying a full sink it went anticlockwise.

 

Just emptied a sinkfull here too..........anticlockwise.

 

Guess that's another urban myth quashed.

 

[Earthling]

What you'd be seeing, if it worked, was the Coriolis Effect in action. However, the water needs to be very still for quite some time in order for you to determine the effect. See here:

 

BBC - Bang Goes the Theory - Hands-on science: Plugholes

 

I wish I'd read this before I walked over to the main block, IN THE CHUCKING IT DOWN POURING RAIN, to fill a sink etc.

[TechMonkey]

With pressure, if I remember my Geography, High pressure mean heavy clouds so air is pushed away from it. Low pressure means light clouds so air is pulled in. It is one reason for wind direction and yes what weather is pulled along.

 

For some reason the wind direction map is etched into my memory. Only for the UK but from the North was Artic (cold), East was Continental (dry), South was Tropical (Warm) & West was Atlantic (wet). Then you got mixes from the corners, so wind coming from the North East was cold and dry, where as from the South West would be warm and wet.

 

I love all this stuff and wish I could learn and remember more. A friend worked with a guy who was an ex meteorologist, really good at it, and could give you an almost spot on forecast for the next 3 hours & a slightly vaguer forecast for 6. Anything beyond that he said was guess work. I do know a lot is also down to the wind current in the upper atmosphere & cells. Last year, when we were totally covered in snow, was caused by the Arctic cell bulging down to cover the whole of the UK, meaning the normal warmer stream that hits us got pushed away. Fascinating!