Weather Flash: What is Radiational cooling?

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — During the day, the sun heats the earth’s surface, and heat is released back into the atmosphere at night in a process called radiational cooling.

According to the National Weather Service, traditional cooling is “the cooling of the Earth’s surface.”

The Earth suffers a net heat loss to space at night due to terrestrial cooling, which is more pronounced when the sky is clear.

Radiational cooling is greater when we see clear skies and light winds across an area.

When winds pick up at night, that helps trap some of the heat from the previous day.

Radiational cooling is most common during Autumn and Winter when cool, northern air masses move over the region.

At times, this could lead to low-lying fog called traditional fog, when temperatures tend to drop to the dewpoint.

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