Why is the second half of summer always hotter than the first?

Question

If two days are equidistant from the summer solstice, shouldn't the earth be at the same angle to the sun on each, and shouldn't this cause the temperatures to be about the same on average for both days? Why is it always hotter after the solstice?

Answer 1

Don't over complicate this process. As long as there are more hours of daylight than there are hours of darkness, there is a net gain in energy at a given spot. This condition exists from the vernal equinox to the autumnal equinox. It starts and ends with a very small difference and has a large difference at the solstice.
If you put more in than you take out, heat energy accumulates and the average temperature rises throughout the process.
Local surface conditions and air flow will complicate the patterns but that is not the primary reason for the effect that you describe.

Answer 2

This is a a basic answer as their are many different factors, but it is simply because the temperature of the earth takes time for the radiation from the sun to heat. Thus, it is hotter in the latter stages of summer than the beginning even though the days are shorter. There are other contributing factors, but that is it in a nutshell.

Answer 3

The above answer sums it up. One of the primary drivers of weather and climate are the seas and oceans, as the year progresses they warm up, this heat that is absorbed is also radiated outwards and so warms the air. As spring turns to summer and summer turns to fall the oceans continue heating, depending just where you are it's usually about October time that they start cooling again.

It's not only the oceans but the land as well so we end up with heat coming from sources other than the sun.

Similarly, as the land begins to dry during the summer months it can absorb more heat. There's less rainfall which has a cooling effect and less cloud cover allowing more sunlight and heat through.

Answer 4

It is similar to the warming up of a sea surface during a particular day compared to land area.You may be knowing that sea surface will be warmer than the adjacent land area during night.If you take mid-day as the first summer and midnight as the second summer, you can notice that sea temperature at midnight is warmer than that of the mid-day even though it is night.This is because water in the sea surface takes more time to absorb and give up the heat.The same reason applies to land in a long period.