Question

Cloudy days are warmer. Why?

Answer 1

Instructions:

1. Explain the heat transfer on a clear cloudless day
2. Explain the heat transfer on a cloudy day

Answer:

• Earth's surface gets heated due to insolation during the daytime. And if the sky is clear, the heat from the heated earth’s surface is transmitted back to the atmosphere through various processes resulting in a cooler temperature.
  
• But on a cloudy day, the clouds act like a barrier and prevent the heat from returning to the atmosphere and thus increasing the temperature near the earth’s surface.
  
• Clouds trap the heat emitted from the earth’s surface and reflect it back to the surface of the earth. This is why cloudy days are warmer than clear cloudless days.