At 3:15 one afternoon, the temperature over the land reaches its highest value for the day — about 32°C. The temperature over the adjacent water is about 22°C. What would the expected weather conditions be at this time?
A. Cloudy skies and a sea breeze
B. Clear skies and a sea breeze
C. Clear skies and a land breeze
D. Cloudy skies and a land breeze
To determine the expected weather conditions at this time, we need to understand the concepts of land breezes and sea breezes.
A sea breeze occurs when the land heats up faster than the adjacent water during the day. This leads to warm air rising over the land and cooler air being drawn in from the sea to replace it. Sea breezes typically bring cooler temperatures and can result in cloudy skies due to moisture from the ocean.
On the other hand, a land breeze occurs at night when the land cools down faster than the adjacent water. This causes the air over the water to be warmer than the air over the land. As a result, the cooler air over the land flows towards the warmer air over the water, creating a gentle wind known as a land breeze. Land breezes usually bring drier and cooler conditions.
In the given scenario, the land temperature is higher (32°C) than the adjacent water temperature (22°C) during the afternoon. This indicates that the land is heating up faster than the water, suggesting the presence of a sea breeze.
Therefore, the expected weather conditions at this time would be option A: Cloudy skies and a sea breeze.