eli5 Why do sunny summer days often times vary so much in how hot it gets that day although the sun and clouds seem very similar?

Question

Like the last three days “sunny” meant scorching hot, but then after a thunderstorm, the next days, “sunny” does not heat up as much as before.
At a first glance it seems like it is as cloudy – more the lack of clouds – like the days before.
How can this be?

In: 0

Answer 1

Most of the heat (or lack of heat) you feel is the air around you, which can vary a lot based on wind currents, atmospheric layer mixing, and direction. And especially after a rain the next few days can feel cold because the air is cooled as the water [evaporates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enthalpy_of_vaporization).