Why aren’t the hottest days on the solstice?

The hottest days occur after the summer solstice. Image via Quang Nguyen Vinh/ Pexels.

The hottest days are after the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The phenomenon of the hottest weather following the summer solstice by a month or two is called the lag of the seasons.

The hottest days follow the solstice

And you can understand it if you’ve ever visited a beach in June. On Northern Hemisphere beaches around now, you’ll notice how cold the ocean feels. Or think about mountaintops in June. Ice and snow still blanket the ground on some high mountains. That’s because the sun has to melt the ice – and warm the oceans – before we feel the most sweltering summer heat.

So that’s why the hot weather lags behind the year’s longest day and highest sun.

By August, ocean water on that same beach will be much warmer. And the snow line will have crept up the mountaintops. That’s why the hottest weather comes some months after the year’s longest day. The land and oceans simply need those extra months to warm up – a scientist might say to store heat – after the cold of winter.

And in the Southern Hemisphere

In the Southern Hemisphere now, the same phenomenon is occurring, but, there, the lag of the seasons is delaying the year’s coldest weather. The June solstice, for the Southern Hemisphere, is the winter solstice. The coldest weather comes in July and August because the land and oceans in that part of the world take some extra weeks to give up their stored heat.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy captured this spectacular wave in Oregon on December 14, 2024. Cecille wrote: “It is the time of king tides at the Oregon coast. The tides get higher than other times of the year when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment. This alignment which increases their gravitational pull affects the tides. Thus the king tides occur. Here is an image of a roaring wave crashing on a rock that protrudes into the ocean.” Thank you, Cecille!

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Bottom line: The solstice marks the height of the sun, but the hottest weather comes a month or two later. That’s because the land and oceans have to warm up, too, before the truly hot summer heat can begin. This phenomenon is called the lag of the seasons.

The post Why aren’t the hottest days on the solstice? first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/Iq8Lzdh

The hottest days occur after the summer solstice. Image via Quang Nguyen Vinh/ Pexels.

The hottest days are after the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The phenomenon of the hottest weather following the summer solstice by a month or two is called the lag of the seasons.

The hottest days follow the solstice

And you can understand it if you’ve ever visited a beach in June. On Northern Hemisphere beaches around now, you’ll notice how cold the ocean feels. Or think about mountaintops in June. Ice and snow still blanket the ground on some high mountains. That’s because the sun has to melt the ice – and warm the oceans – before we feel the most sweltering summer heat.

So that’s why the hot weather lags behind the year’s longest day and highest sun.

By August, ocean water on that same beach will be much warmer. And the snow line will have crept up the mountaintops. That’s why the hottest weather comes some months after the year’s longest day. The land and oceans simply need those extra months to warm up – a scientist might say to store heat – after the cold of winter.

And in the Southern Hemisphere

In the Southern Hemisphere now, the same phenomenon is occurring, but, there, the lag of the seasons is delaying the year’s coldest weather. The June solstice, for the Southern Hemisphere, is the winter solstice. The coldest weather comes in July and August because the land and oceans in that part of the world take some extra weeks to give up their stored heat.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy captured this spectacular wave in Oregon on December 14, 2024. Cecille wrote: “It is the time of king tides at the Oregon coast. The tides get higher than other times of the year when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment. This alignment which increases their gravitational pull affects the tides. Thus the king tides occur. Here is an image of a roaring wave crashing on a rock that protrudes into the ocean.” Thank you, Cecille!

Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Bottom line: The solstice marks the height of the sun, but the hottest weather comes a month or two later. That’s because the land and oceans have to warm up, too, before the truly hot summer heat can begin. This phenomenon is called the lag of the seasons.

The post Why aren’t the hottest days on the solstice? first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/Iq8Lzdh