Please explain...

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

So I'm going to assume that this isn't a silly question, because my Mum doesn't know the answer and she knows a lot of stuff.

Why is it that in winter a 15° day is cold, but in summer a 15° night is hot? If you know please share the secret! Perhaps in simple terms though, as I don't understand some of the fancy lingo.

[casstony]

Average daytime temperatures are higher than average night time temperatures, such that low daytime temperatures tend to be similar to high night time temperatures. Each band of temperatures has a high and low end, with the high end of one overlapping the low end of the other band.

[michaellxv (Michael)]

Keeping it simple and ingoring weather patterns which will have a dramatic change.

In winter (or any day really) it takes all day to warm up to the 15° max which it might reach about mid afternoon, the rest of the day is cooler than this.

In summer (again any day) it takes all night to cool down to the 15° min which will be just before sunrise, the rest of the night is warmer than this.

[csb (Craig)]

It could be that in winter there is often a cold wind so with that wind chill factor it feels cold.

At bedtime, is a 15C summer night warm or just nice n easy fir sleeping?

[astro_nutt]

Humidity?

[N1 (Mirko)]

If a daily maximum of 15°C is near the low end of the range for daily maximum temps for where you live, you may consider it cool.

If a nightly minimum of 15°C is near the high end of the range nightly minimum temperatures for where you live, you may copnsider it warm.

15°C may be perceived very differently elsewhere. In parts of the Arctic, people will call a daily max of 15°C hot. In Cairns, people put extra blankets on in a 15°C night.

[OzStarGazer]

To me 15°C is always cold...

[AussieTrooper (Ben)]

Because during summer at the time you go to sleep, it hasn't dropped to 15C yet. So it is actually hotter than that.
Likewise, unless you are outside at the exact time it hits the 15C maximum in winter, it will actually be cooler than that.

It's the range that's important.

Try going for a dip in a pool in Mt Isa. It might be a 30C day, but if it drops to 5C each night, the water will still be bloody freezing.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

According to my wife anything below about 21* is cold all the time !!
Her feet are testimony to this

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Slightly OT, but:

When visiting the UK (which still hasn't fully committed to converting over to metric in all respects of daily life), I find it amusing that people tend to talk about the summer maximum temperatures in Fahrenheit (because 90 degrees sounds a lot hotter than 32 degrees), but winter temperatures tend to be in Celsius (because 0 degrees sounds a lot colder than 32 degrees). You even see this in the evening weather reports on TV.

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Originally Posted by michaellxv

Keeping it simple and ingoring weather patterns which will have a dramatic change.

In winter (or any day really) it takes all day to warm up to the 15° max which it might reach about mid afternoon, the rest of the day is cooler than this.

In summer (again any day) it takes all night to cool down to the 15° min which will be just before sunrise, the rest of the night is warmer than this.

Out of everyone's responses, this made the most sense to me i suppose it explains why I go to bed with just a sheet on but by morning I'm looking for a quilt too. I suppose in winter it's already cold from the chilly nights, so the days don't really "warm up" like they do in summer.

Originally Posted by julianh72

Slightly OT, but:

When visiting the UK (which still hasn't fully committed to converting over to metric in all respects of daily life), I find it amusing that people tend to talk about the summer maximum temperatures in Fahrenheit (because 90 degrees sounds a lot hotter than 32 degrees), but winter temperatures tend to be in Celsius (because 0 degrees sounds a lot colder than 32 degrees). You even see this in the evening weather reports on TV.

Are they a precious folk? If we did that in Australia people would die of shock

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Originally Posted by OzStarGazer

To me 15°C is always cold...

When it's 15° at night I can go outside with shorts and a shirt. During the day though, I'm all rugged up.

[AussieTrooper (Ben)]

Except for the bloody mosquitos.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

I would actually think you have things a little backwards 15c in the winter is not cold and 15c in summer is not hot, regardless of whether it is day or night, at least in Australia.

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Originally Posted by tlgerdes

I would actually think you have things a little backwards 15c in the winter is not cold and 15c in summer is not hot, regardless of whether it is day or night, at least in Australia.

I did test this theory the other night when the mercury hit 15°c and it was quite warm, but not warm enough thay I was uncomfortable with a jumper and blanket on. However, I do still believe that 15 is chilly in winter, no matter what anyone says

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by AussieTrooper

Except for the bloody mosquitos.

My leg looks like the surface of the moon and my arm has suddenly replicated Olympus Mons.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

My leg looks like the surface of the moon and my arm has suddenly replicated Olympus Mons.

Missing Melbourne yet??

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

Missing Melbourne yet??

That'll be like missing brocolli when there is a KFC buffet layed out infront of me

[Huey (Michael)]

Humans are not great at gauging temperatures. Just put a hand in warm water and then in cold. You can be fooled for a few seconds. Also, we tend to withdraw blood further into our bodies at night time to conserve heat. This may also account for the difference in heat experience.

Huey