How temperature inversions influence our weather
When constructing a weather forecast, it’s important to first look at what’s happening in real time.
That includes everything from radar and satellite images to charts of the atmosphere from the upper levels right to the surface. Sometimes, when analyzing data from radiosondes, there is the presence of what’s called an inversion.
In the troposphere – the layer of our atmosphere where Earth’s weather occurs, the air temperature decreases with height until it transitions into the stratosphere. However, sometimes, the temperature in the troposphere can increase with height, forming what’s often called a temperature or capping inversion.
Several factors can lead to a temperature inversion, but the most common has to do with the cooling of the Earth’s surface.
With little-to-no clouds and light winds, the Earth’s surface can cool much faster than the air above it. In this scenario, the air aloft doesn’t cool as quickly, leading to warm air aloft and cooler air at the surface, thus forming a temperature inversion.
Inversions most often occur just before sunset and linger until a few hours after sunrise. However, inversions can be present at any time and influence our weather patterns.
In the wintertime, temperature inversions contribute to the formation of ice pellets and freezing rain, while in the summertime, a temperature inversion can stop air from rising and prevent thunderstorm development.
Inversions can cause cool air to get trapped, and because cool air is denser than warm air, it begins to sink. This can cause pollutants in our atmosphere to also get trapped and lead to reductions in air quality.
Temperature inversions are not uncommon, but how strong it is, where it’s present, how long it lasts, and other atmospheric factors determine just how it influences the atmosphere around us.