Learning Corner

Anonymous said...
'So when is it, like, gonna, like, get warm? And not just for a day, but for weeks on end!
huh? smarty-pants? got the answer, groundhog?
waiting for the correct response,

Cold and Sick of It'

So, like, what's your definition of warm huh? Shackleton's men in Antarctica were taking their shirts off and swooning from the heat when it was, like, 30 degrees. So maybe it has, like, been warm, for, like, days and weeks on end and you're just, like, a wimp or something.

Anonymous said...
'I was trying to explain to someone that it's always colder in the winter when it's clear out, and on cloudy days, it's warmer. Is that even true, or was I starting one of those bullshit conversations?'

It's mainly true at night. The earth radiates heat at night (especially after a sunny day), and if a cloud cover moves in it acts as a blanket and keeps a good deal of the heat in. On a clear night the heat just escapes to outer space, and this is most noticeable during the winter.

However, it's partly true during the day also, but for different reasons. Warm days during the winter are always the result of a warm front that is bringing warm wet air from the south into the region. This means that clouds and precipitation will come with it. The warm front is usually followed by a cold front that pushes down behind it from the north, and brings more clouds and precipitation, but of a more uncomfortable variety. And then this is usually followed by high pressure and clear cold dry air, which remains until the next system moves through. So the warm days will be cloudy, and the sunny days will be especially cold and piercing, and everything in between will just be crappy.
Here is an illustration:

Some other anonymous writes:
'And what's that thing you see out on Lake Michigan? A water treatment plant? Weather station? An evil science lab?'

What thing? Where on Lake Michigan? It's kind of a big place with lots of things on it. Please clarify and I will do my best to help.