Refer to figure.
A radiation inversion occurs on cold winter nights characterized by clear skies and minimal to no wind. In such conditions, the dry air above the surface allows long-wave radiation to escape from the atmosphere during the night, a phenomenon known as nocturnal radiation. As a result, both the surface and the adjacent air cool down. This atmospheric setup can result in the development of ground-level fog. However, the presence of clouds can impede or entirely halt this cooling process.

Desert air, characterized by its extreme dryness, is prone to the formation of radiation inversions on almost any summer night. In the daytime, the sun intensely warms the ground and the adjacent atmosphere. However, as evening descends and the sun disappears below the horizon, the primary heat source vanishes. In response, the desert's sand rapidly releases its stored heat and undergoes a rapid cooling process. This immediate cooling effect extends to the air just above the surface, resulting in air temperatures near the ground dropping by as much as 15ºC within a matter of hours.

This phenomenon of cold surfaces and warmer upper air layers constitutes what is known as a temperature inversion. It's important to note that water, with its superior heat-retaining properties compared to rock and sand, is notably absent in the desert environment. Consequently, in the absence of cloud cover and with minimal water vapor, there is no thermal insulation to prevent the rapid cooling of the desert environment and strong inversions will commonly form.