TITLE: Why don't solstices coincide with temperature extremes?
QUESTION [0 upvotes]: In northern hemisphere, the highest temperatures are usually in July — in the middle of calendar summer. See e.g. the climate chart on this wikipedia page. But the solstices are on 20-21 of June, almost a month before the middle of July. If the sun is at its highest on solstice day, why isn't the temperature the highest at that time?

REPLY [0 votes]: The reason the hottest temperatures of the year are later than the solstice is because the land and oceans need time to warm up.  Interestingly enough, there's a name for this phenomenon - "the lag of the seasons".
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