ELi5: In the Northern Hemisphere, why are the typically warmest days of the year after the longest days of sunlight?

Question

ELi5: In the Northern Hemisphere, why are the typically warmest days of the year after the longest days of sunlight?

In: 4

Answer 1

The weather depends on a lot of factors, not just sunlight.

Areas close to the ocean are very dependent on the ocean for their weather. Warmer water means warmer winds coming in from the sea.

The thing is that an ocean (or part of the ocean) takes a loooong time to warm up. But it also takes long to cool down. So when the sun starts weakening (relatively), the ocean is only just warm. Those sea winds will keep warming up oceanic winds for a month or longer. Those winds, paired with the still pretty strong influence of the sun, is what makes the days warmer.