Why Is It So Hot?
By Phillip Williams
Monday, June 09, 2008
Ah yes, I get that question a lot.
To break down the science behind the heat, we have to talk about high pressure. Are you bored yet? Don’t be, it gets better in a minute. High pressure is sinking air. When air sinks, it heats up because the compression or squeezing of the air from above increases the temperatures. It’s like football. Lost? Let me explain. In football, during a tackle, the guys pile on top of each other. The one on the bottom of the pile feels the pressure from the weight of the ones above. Depending on his temperment, he may or may not get mad about that, but in the weather, the air at the bottom of the pile, gets hot.
The position of the high pressure can add to the squeeze on the air. When the high is centered south of us then we get a westerly wind around it. Hmm...what is west of us? The mountains, you say? Ah yes! When air blows down from the mountains it compresses or is squeezed again because it is coming downhill. That is an extra way the air heats up. If you want to get the hottest day possible, have a hot air mass over us and then have a wind coming down from the mountains and then bring a cold front toward us. Yes, the approach of a “cold” front will give us our hottest day. Why? Because then the air is squeezed or compressed from the side too. The colder air on the way here is heavier and denser than the hot air over us.
So, to answer the question “why is it so hot,” the answer is: our air gets squeezed by high pressure sinking from above, it gets squeezed from air tumbling down from the mountains and it gets squeezed from the side by the approach of a cold front. All that compression or squeezing makes the air very hot. Add to that the heat absorption of asphalt and buildings and you get a very hot pattern. Humidity in the air holds heat in at night, too.
You want some good news? The heat wave is about to break. The second half of this week will not be as hot with no more flirting with 100 degrees.
Feel free to comment or ask questions.
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