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

Question

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???

In: 341

Answer 1

Heating doesn’t happen instantly, there is a lag time. For really big things (like Earth itself) this lag time can be quite significant. Later in the summer the days may be getting shorter but the heat input is still enough to keep the temperature rising. If the summer days lasted for much longer then the average temperature would rise much higher before leveling off.