Clouds act as a shield, preventing heat from the ground from being transmitted through the atmosphere into space.
Why is it warmer at night when it’s cloudy?
The cloud acts like a shield that prevents heat from escaping into space.
During the day, our Earth receives light from the Sun and is warmed. When night falls, if the sky is clear, that is, there are no clouds, the heat is easily transmitted through the atmosphere, into space. Thus, the Earth is cooled.
Now, to understand what happens on a cloudy night, let’s warm up the Earth again.
In this case, the clouds act like a shield that prevents heat from escaping into space. Because heat is trapped in the atmosphere, cloudy nights are warmer than clear nights.