I live in Burnley, which is a large town in northeast Lancashire, England. Burnley is in the foothills of the Pennines, the upland area running down the center of northern England. Because we are fairly high up and in the west of the country, we get more than our fair share of wet weather. In relatively recent years, Burnley was one of the biggest cotton spinning and weaving places in the world because, for one thing, the industry needed a humid climate. I hope that has set the scene. What puzzles me is the frequency with which we experience the following weather phenomenon. All day, winter or summer, the cloud base is low, with or without rain. Then, toward late afternoon, the clouds begin to lighten and by, say, 6:00 p.m., there isn't a cloud in the sky. I thought the cause might be the temperature drop as the sun sinks toward the horizon, but I would like to know.
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