The correct answer is: C. Much lower than predicted due to radiational cooling.
Radiational cooling is the process by which an object loses heat to its surroundings by radiation. The rate of radiative heat loss is proportional to the difference between the object’s temperature and the temperature of its surroundings. When the wind speed increases, it mixes the air near the ground with the air higher up, which is usually colder. This mixing brings warmer air from the ground up and colder air from above down, which increases the temperature difference between the ground and the air above it. This, in turn, increases the rate of radiative heat loss from the ground, which causes the ground to cool more quickly.
Option A is incorrect because the wind speed increasing will not cause the minimum temperature to occur earlier in the night. The minimum temperature is the lowest temperature that the air will reach during a given period of time. It is usually reached in the early morning hours, before sunrise. The wind speed does not affect the time of day when the minimum temperature occurs.
Option B is incorrect because the wind speed increasing will not cause the minimum temperature to be higher than predicted due to the release of latent heat. Latent heat is the heat that is absorbed or released when a substance changes its state of matter. When the wind speed increases, it mixes the air near the ground with the air higher up, which does not cause any substances to change their state of matter. Therefore, the wind speed increasing will not cause the minimum temperature to be higher than predicted due to the release of latent heat.
Option D is incorrect because the wind speed increasing will not cause the minimum temperature to be higher than predicted due to mixing. Mixing is the process of distributing particles or substances evenly throughout a space. When the wind speed increases, it mixes the air near the ground with the air higher up. This mixing does not cause the air to become warmer, so it does not cause the minimum temperature to be higher than predicted due to mixing.