# Why aren't summers hotter down in Oz? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2001, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106 "2001-11-02T11:35:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Adithya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@Adithya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adithya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/1 "2001-11-02T11:35:07Z")
I read somewhere that the sun is closer to the Earth during January rather than July.(due to the latter’s elliptical orbit)Alright,the tilt of the earth more than compensates for this for the Northern Hemisphere.However,if January is summer in the Southern hemisphere,then there ought to be a combined effect of the tilt and lower distance.So the sun’s rays ought to be strongest at the Tropic of Capricorn in December/January than on any place on Earth. I know the answer probably lies in the cool ocean waters,rain,fog,etc,etc,but what about those deserts down south? ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/2 "2001-11-02T12:02:52Z")
Yup, it’s those cooling summer rains and fogs that make places like [Marble Bar](http://www.pilbara.com/marble.html) and [Coober Pedy](http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/SACooberPedy.shtml) so hospitable. Or are you just getting confused between the [Fahrenheit and Celsius Temperature Scales?](http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/weather/fahrcels.html) ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/3 "2001-11-02T12:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Adithya \* > \*\*I read somewhere that the sun is closer to the Earth during January rather than July.(due to the latter’s elliptical orbit). > \*\* That is true. But the difference isn’t that big. At the perihelion (closest point, occurs currently in January) the distance is 147.1 million kilometres, and at the aphelion (furthest point, currently in July) 152.1 million kilometres. With the 1/r[sup]2[/sup] dependance on distance that would give a variation of ±3%. Definitely an influence not to ignore, but not at all as powerfull as the ocean with its warm/cold currents. For a sobering comparison, look at the (reasonably) mild weather in northern Norway, compared to the other side of the Atlantic (Greenland, Newfoundland etc). Go to [http://www.weather.com](http://www.weather.com) and check the average temperature of Iqaluit, Canada. Then compare with the corresponding figures for Tromsö, Norway! (On average the winters are about 20°C warmer in Tromsö, despite being quite far further north!) I don’t know much about oceanic currents in the southern hemisphere, but I’m pretty sure that they are just as powerfull as up north. ---
**Author:** ![Adithya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@Adithya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adithya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/4 "2001-11-02T12:08:22Z")
Nope,no C/F confusion here. 🙂 But I was wondering that both summers and winters ought to be hotter and colder respectively in the S.Hemisphere.To be even more precise,the sun’s intensity ought to be more at the Tropic of Capricorn instead of Cancer,rather than precisely equal,as often touted to be. ---
**Author:** ![Adithya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@Adithya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adithya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/5 "2001-11-02T12:09:52Z")
Thanks TC. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/6 "2001-11-02T12:09:56Z")
Not really an answer but… I’ve been to Marble Bar! Also if you were to look at the UKs Latitude we should be much cooler but thanks to the Gulf Stream it doesn’t get that cold in winter. Though I read the other day that the Gulf Stream is now cooling down so we might be in for a bit more snow and cold. ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/7 "2001-11-02T12:19:02Z")
Fair suck of the sav, **Adithya** … Have you actually experienced an Australian summer? There would not be too many places on the entire Australian continent, or Tasmania, that did not swelter at some stage last summer. In my state, South Australia, it was officially announced as the hottest summer on record. I personally experienced temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius on one or two occasions, and several more days that reached 40 or above. My town is on the southern coast, surrounded by ocean on all sides expect to the north, which helps to moderate summer temperatures at least five degrees. So, if I got extremely warm, think about how hot most of Australia got. Most of Australia is arid desert, all of it a good deal closer to the Tropic of Capricorn than my southerly location. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/8 "2001-11-02T20:20:19Z")
I have a web page describing [the reasons for the seasons](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/seasons.html). Austral summers on average are cooler than northern ones, because the southern hemisphere is mostly water, which does not heat or cool well. It protects the southern side form temperature extremes. That does not mean that locally things don’t get bad, just half-globally. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/9 "2001-11-02T20:41:54Z")
Y’know, I never thought of that. What’s more, it even makes sense! Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/10 "2001-11-02T21:26:35Z")
Because heat rises. Duh. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-summers-hotter-down-in-oz/91106/11 "2001-11-03T00:22:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Because heat rises. Actually, hot air rises, not heat.