Background: Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year. In June the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, so at any given Northern Hemisphere latitude sunlight falls more directly on that spot than in December (see Effect of sun angle on climate). This effect causes seasons. Over thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbital parameters affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influence long-term climate. (See Milankovitch cycles).The uneven solar heating (the formation of zones of temperature and moisture gradients, or frontogenesis) can also be due to the weather itself in the form of cloudiness and precipitation.  Higher altitudes are typically cooler than lower altitudes, which the result of higher surface temperature and radiational heating, which produces the adiabatic lapse rate. In some situations, the temperature actually increases with height. This phenomenon is known as an inversion and can cause mountaintops to be warmer than the valleys below. Inversions can lead to the formation of fog and often act as a cap that suppresses thunderstorm development. On local scales, temperature differences can occur because different surfaces (such as oceans, forests, ice sheets, or man-made objects) have differing physical characteristics such as reflectivity, roughness, or moisture content.

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced cooler weather?
Answer: Ann

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced warmer weather?
Answer: Dee

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced more temperature inversion phenomena?
Answer: Ann

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced fewer temperature inversion phenomena?
Answer: Dee

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced fewer fog caps?
Answer: Dee

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced more fog cap phenomena?
Answer: Ann

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced more thunderstorms?
Answer: Dee

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin experienced fewer thunderstorms?
Answer: Ann

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin observed higher surface temperatures?
Answer: Ann

Situation: Dee and Ann were two cousins. Ann lived in a mountain village at 8000 ft altitude, while Dee lived in a coastal town at sea level.

Question: Which cousin observed lower surface temperatures?
Answer: Dee