CLEVELAND — Coming at you with some science! Water freezes at 32 degrees. Ice melts at 32 degrees. We haven't reached 32 degrees yet and likely won't for a few more days, so how is our snow melting?
That's right. Snow can melt while the air temperature is in the teens and 20s. And that's a totally misleading statement!
Here's why.
The sun doesn't actually heat the air. The sun heats the ground, and the ground radiates that heat into the air. (That's why we put our thermometers in the shade)
Now back to snow melting in the 20s. On a sunny day, the sun's energy goes THROUGH the snow (most is reflected off the snow) and warms the ground. Before the ground can heat the air, it has to melt the snow. That's why when you look at the snow closest to the ground, it's slushy! The top layer is still powder because the warmth hasn't reached it yet. That snow is melting from the ground up.
When the snow is gone, the sun will be able to heat the air freely!
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