SAN ANTONIO — We've been dealing with roller coaster temperatures lately in South Texas. It's hard to believe San Antonio experienced freezing temperatures just last Friday morning! Typically we see our first freeze on Nov. 30. Our sky has been mostly clear until Tuesday.
Cloud cover, however, can play a huge role in how fast we warm up and cool down day or night.
During the day, the sun will heat up the Earth's surface and the ground will continue to radiate heat during the day.
If clouds move in during the afternoon, the sun's rays can reflect off water droplets back into space. Therefore, it will take longer to heat up and less of the sun's rays are able to reach the ground.
When meteorologists forecast evening temperatures, we pay close attention to cloud cover. If our sky is clear, heat emitted from the ground will escape into space due to warm air rising.
If thick clouds move in at night, the cloud cover will act as a blanket and trap the heat, keeping it close to the surface. This will help us stay warmer at night.
Temperatures did not fluctuate too much due to the gloomy sky we woke up to Tuesday morning.
Clouds are expected to stick around through the upcoming days and temperatures will stay above freezing.
