At first I thought maybe it would be like having a torch in a freezer but nope there would be a temp difference. So because it’s 5 f degrees outside with a -5 below 0 windchill how is it snow and ice are melting?
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This has to do with heat conduction.
Air is notoriously bad at conducting heat. That means for all the sun rays that hit the Earth, the air around us will likely heat up the least amount. The ground, on the other hand, is much better at absorbing and transferring the heat it receives from the sun. For that matter, the snow itself also absorb heat better than the air.
This is the same principle that makes the roads 100 degrees when it’s only 80 out.
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