Expert: Dave Dombek - 3/20/2007

Question
At what time of day is the temperature at it's highest? Does this time change from season to season? What effects this change if so?

Answer
Katie,

That is a good question! In general, during a 24 hour day, the temperature is at its highest point about 3 hours past local "high noon", since there is always a lag effect. Of course, if it is daylight savings time, then high noon is closer to 1 pm and not noon. That means that in the spring, summer, and early fall, the high temperature is around 4 pm. In the late fall and winter, when the days are shorter, and we are in standard time, the high temperature is reached by 3 pm, and sometimes as early as 2 or 2:30 pm.
Of course, these are "normal" situations, with no cold fronts or warm fronts coming through, or no pop-up showers or thunderstorms in the area. These factors can alter the time of the high temperature greatly. For example, there are cases when it is overcast and cold all day, but a warm front goes through at night, and the high temperature for that 24 hour period ends up being right before midnight. On the other hand, there are times when the day can start out very warm, but a cold front goes through early in the morning and the lowest temperature for that day ends up being in the afternoon or early evening.
I hope this answered your question.

Sincerely,

Dave Dombek
Expert Senior Meteorologist
AccuWeather.com