eli5: why isn’t the summer Solstice the hottest day of the year?

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It is the longest day, so it gets the most sunshine, why is it hotter latter in the summer when the days are getting shorter again???

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Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s as much about the low you’re starting from as anything. The ground temperature is basically as low as you’re going to get to at night under a heat dome. Longer days lead to the ground warming up. Then the ground gets to its maximum in July when the sun is baking down all day in the still lengthy days. Fronts can push the warm air through but until the ground cools down the temps will still get very warm.

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