Why does it stay 98degrees outside if the sun is down???

Question

If the sun is already set and down and it's 11pm already why the heck is it 98 degrees outside???

Answer 1

Because the ground, rocks, roofs, the air, etc are all still hot from the day, and so they emit heat after the sun sets.

Answer 2

It's because there is not enough ice that can reflect the suns energy back into space and so the heat is retained because of all the greenhouse gases in the air.

Answer 3

It doesn't "stay 98 degrees outside if the sun is down."    If it's 98 at night it was much warmer than 98 during the day.

Answer 4

Its the temperature of the air.  I drove through Phoenix one summer and stopped at a gas station just after midnight.  The thermometer read 114 degrees.

Answer 5

All of the ashphalt, pavement, roof shingles, brick walls, rocks dirt, etc. emitting heat from the sun when it was up, you have many other sources of heat.

For example, exhaust fumes from cars & trucks emit heat; so do car & truck engines; as do air conditioning units on homes, hospitals, office towers, shopping malls, etc., etc., all emit heat as well.

Additionally, if there is signficant cloud cover, then the heat caused by the sun and by the above will be less able to leave compared to when there is a clear sky at night.

Is there any wind? If there is no wind then the hot air will remain stagnant and not leave (just check a picture of LA, Shanghai or any major city in the world to see all the smog that stays).

I hope that helps,

Dan

Answer 6

water vapor is the main greenhouse gas. notice that clear nights, with low humidity, will have rapid cooling as soon as the sun sets- like in the desert.

   CO2 is a small fraction - about 5%, and the human caused portion is 1/4  of that.

Answer 7

One of the predicted results of AGW ,will be the rise in nightime low temps!

Answer 8

You are lucky you don't live on the moon which ranges from 123 degrees C to -220 Degrees C.  Our more constant temperature is caused by the atmosphere holding in the heat from the day and slowing its radiation into space.