Where you live the temperature may change considerably from the afternoon to the early morning, especially if the sky is clear. Along
coastal areas the changes are not likely to be as great as they are farther inland, because of the modifying influences of bays, lakes, and oceans on temperature. During the warmer months when there is greater
absolute humidity (atmospheric moisture), temperatures are also not likely to change as much as during the colder months. Again, water, whether
on the surface or in the air, prevents temperatures from falling
or climbing as rapidly as when the environment is dry. Additionally, the longer nights of winter allow the radiation absorbed by the land during the day to escape into the atmosphere more readily than is the case in summer when the
nights are short. Therefore it is reasonable that the greatest temperature changes in a 24 hr. period will occur, for many locations, during the colder months at locations far removed from large water bodies.
It some places in the Midwest and on the Great Plains, even in January or February, it is not unheard of for afternoon temperatures to rise into the 60's or 70's after a morning temperature in the 20's. So the temperature can change
50 degrees over the course of a day. However, temperatures can change more dramatically if a strong cold front passes through the area. This is what happened in Browning, Montana one January in 1916 when the temperature dropped from 44 F on Jan. 23 to -56 F on Jan. 24, a change of 100 F in 24 hr!
What is the largest temperature change ever recorded at any one place in the U.S. over a 24 hr. period?