– On a sunny day, why does snow melt on the sidewalk even when the temperature is well below freezing?

Question

– On a sunny day, why does snow melt on the sidewalk even when the temperature is well below freezing?

In: 1

Answer 1

The weather reports the ambient temperature, which is the average temperature of the environment or the air temperature.

Different objects can be warmer or colder than the ambient temperature.

The sun heats the ground during the day and it gets warm enough to melt the snow on it. Concrete is very good at absorbing heat which is why snow tends to melt on it before the ground.