A final feature on the diurnal temperature cycle. This plot presents a crude analysis of when the low and high temperature occurs each day based on minute interval data. Some adjustment was done to the plot to remove cases of having the low or high temperature set at midnight. The plot nicely shows the annual cycle of when the low temperature occurs, which is typically just before sunrise. The high temperature is more constant and typically occurs around 4 PM CDT (or 3 PM during the winter time). Many people think the highest temperature occurs at noon when the sun is the most direct (highest in the sky), but since the net downward radiation is still positive well into the afternoon, we continue to warm.

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Tags:   climate   temp