Why does the night time temperature drop several degrees just before sunrise?

Answer 1

It's the sun that provides our planet with heat and light. During the daylight hours our part of the world is exposed to the sun and thus receives both heat and light. Come nighttime when we're turned away from the sun and we're receiving neither heat nor light.

The time when the heating from the sun is most pronounced is when the sun is highest in the sky, this being 1pm. As the day progresses more heat is absorbed by the Earth and we're still receiving heat from the sun, this compounding effect ensures the day keeps warming even after the sun has reached it's peak.

As evening approaches the sun sinks towards the horizon, the sun's rays hit us at an oblique angle and are greatly weakened. The warming from the sun begins to recede and the Earth now behaves like a radiatior releasing the heat that's been absorbed during the day. As evening turns to night and the night draws on more heat is lost from the Earth and radiated back outwards into space. Our part of the planet keeps cooling and continues to do so until the following morning when the sun rises again and the heat received from it's rays is greater than that being radiated from the Earth.

This assumes there's no other factors involved - the movement of warm and cold air masses, winds, cloud cover, rain etc all have an effect.

Answer 2

On a clear day and clear night following, the coldest time of the say would be minutes before sunrise because the most time has past since the sun was heating your city. But many factors can make that not true such as if a warm front puches through at night, it may make the temperature slightly warmer than the day that passed. Also the ocean can regulate temperatures in coastal cities to have very little of a difference between night and day temperatures.

Answer 3

I think the temperature drops at sea level as the sun rises because the sun heats up the air high above the ground and makes it expand which forces the cold air below it downwards lowering the temperature a few degrees at ground level

Answer 4

I´m afraid it´s usually not like that. The temperature is dropping mostly in the evening, around sunset. After that it´s cooling down slower and slower, until the sun is rising again.

Answer 5

It the dew point, in the morning when the sun rises,it is at it lowest point. and drops the temperature.