why is the weather colder in january and febuary when the winter solstice is on dec 21?

Answer 1

It is the same reason why the high temperature for the day is normally in the late afternoon and not when the sun is at its highest point (noon-ish).

Temperature is a measure of energy that is always trying to find a equilibrium point. Due to the unequal heating from the sun. The atmosphere cools until energy receipt exceeds the energy loss to space. The northern hemisphere continues to cool until the spring equinox when total energy received is more than the total energy loss.

In the same way the warmest temperatures during the summer is not at the summer solstice but normally one to two months later.

Answer 2

The same is true with the summer solstice and the months following it being hotter. I had a teacher explain it to me like this: put a pan of water on the stove under an electric burner, turn on the burner til the water gets hot, then turn the heat off/down. The water will continue to get hotter for a bit even though the heat source is gone/diminished. The same works in the winter, although I can't think of a good analogy....

Answer 3

Because there is a lag effect. Even though, after the Solstice, the amount of incoming solar radiation over the northern hemisphere increases, it takes about 4 to 5 weeks until the amount of outgoing longwave radiation (which we sense as heat) increases likewise. The opposite is true in Summer, where the average warmest time of year is in late July, about 4-5 weeks after the Summer Solstice. I liken this effect to an electric stove burner, turned on for a brief moment. It takes a short time to start warming up after turning it on, and it gets still hotter for a short time after you turn it off.

Answer 4

Each day it gets warmer when the sun is up and colder when it is down. So it is colder at sunrise than at midnite.

Seasons work the same way. On average at certain times of the year, more heat is lost at night than is gained back during the day. So it will continue to get colder as long as this is so. So the coldest day of the year will be at some time after the shortest day. As long as the days are short enough (and the sun is at a low enough angle in the sky) more heat will be lost at night than gained during the day and it will continue to get colder.

Answer 5

because the angle of the sun in the sky at the "peak period" for warming is very low.

Answer 6

the earth is on an axle so it takes time to turn