Q: Why is it that storms always seem to happen at night?
– Robert A.
A: In general, storms happen no more often at night than they do
during the day, according to Dr. Warren Blier, science officer for
the San Francisco Forecast Office of the National Weather Service
in Monterey.
Q: Why is it that storms always seem to happen at night?
– Robert A.
A: In general, storms happen no more often at night than they do during the day, according to Dr. Warren Blier, science officer for the San Francisco Forecast Office of the National Weather Service in Monterey.
“If you’ve been asleep for eight hours and you wake up and the ground is wet, it could well be that that took place for an hour or two,” said Blier. “The other six or seven hours may have been dry, but in your mind it’s rolled into one event.”
The observation isn’t always misconception, though. Some storms are driven by the day’s heat cycle. For instance, thunderstorms use the day’s heat as their energy source for those powerful lightning crashes. Winds can also be influenced by the sun. A sea breeze is the best example, generally blowing inland from the ocean during the day, and outward toward the sea at night. The same thing happens with hills and mountains and is known as a slope wind.
“In some places during the night there might be a converging of the winds,” said Blier. “If you’re in a valley and during the night the winds from either side come together, that could enhance the amount of rain.”
