Why is is that most severe weather occurs at night?

Question

like thunderstorms

because here in Texas whenever there is a thunderstorm it is always at night... i don't know about other parts of the world, but why is this?

Answer 1

That's not totally true.  It could be that it seems that way to you but in reality most severe weather occurs during the daytime hours as this is where the best instability is.  

For severe weather to occur at night you need strong jet dynamics in place in order to compensate for weakening instability numbers due to a loss of daytime heating.  However, down in your parts instability can hold longer than here in CT b/c we cool off faster and we have the stabilizing affects of Long Island Sound.  

You probably get alot of non-severe t'storms at night which are probably produced by upper air disturbances, outflow from other thunderstorms or just from afternoon heating but those storms tend to die out once the sun goes down.

Answer 2

Severe weather mostly occurs from 3-9pm.  This is after the heating of the day and when severe storms tend to pop up.  Severe thunderstorms can occur after dark since there is still enough energy.  It is not uncommon for a severe squall line to start during the day and move east though out the evening in to the night time hours still producing severe weather.  Tornadoes are possible overnight also and have occurred before.  During the summer when storms pop up because of the heating of the day tend to weaken and die after sunset.

Answer 3

I live in Texas too. It's because the severe storms form and build up with the heat of the afternoon. Also, as it was already mentioned, the gulf is a major cause. as the gulf air travels across texas it warms up. the hotter the air when it meets the cooler air, the worse the storm.

basically, because of afternoon heating.

Answer 4

1. A favorable exit in a low-level jet, especially the right rear quadrant of it, causes very strong dynamics that trigger sometimes convective available potential energies as high as 1500 to 2500 joules per kilogram in the surface even without

the sun that can fuel nocturnal thunderstorms.

2. Flash-flood producing thunderstorms are often seen at night with these same dynamics, which gets worse when

wet-bulb zero rates are high, dew points are very high, and when lifted indices are lower than -3. Often, these thunderstorms stay at the same place or are slow-movers, or you get what you call "training thunderstorms".....storms that hit the same area several times......which can cause flash flooding, which can be akin to tornadoes...flash floods fall under severe weather because damage by water can be devastating as it does twisters......

I think 74 percent of these Texas thunderstorms are blamed on the Gulf of Mexico....any south wind from the Gulf often clashes with cold fronts going from west to east....and often, these clashes between the two air masses are the main cause of your state's thunderstorms............Very plainly, this is because Texas is closest to the Gulf of Mexico, especially the eastern side of Texas......