hi.
I live on 60N in Scandinavia and this has been the 'new normal' winter for a decade at least. Our winters are getting much shorter as a result.
But there is no punch at all in the sun at these latitudes in Feb., and March. It's not gonna bring in "massive extra heat" as you write. In April insolation is strong, but by then snow is mostly gone anyway.
A few remarks:
- you may not feel the punch in cold air-masses and the frequent inversions where the air at ground level and close to it is colder than at some higher altitudes.
- nevertheless the energy that can be measured, even at low sun-angles
IS SIGNIFICANT.
. In fact, compared to zero it's even huge while not TOP-Level of course.
- Said energy, meeting darker surfaces, makes a
"HUGE" difference. Not only in absorbing
. energy but also by quicker melting of the remaining and/or existing snow cover.
- 60N is slightly north of Oslo and goes through St. Petersburg to name just 2 of the largeer and
. better known places. That's
"NOT" very far north, it's around the northernmost tip of the UK.
Whatever the details, the impact on darker surfaces, compared to white surfaces, is significant at
"ANY" sun angle. Even though our thickly dressed protected skin does not feel that way, last but no least due to wind and humidity as 2 of several key factors. More humid air in winter often sticks to the ground with an impact as described above.
There is more to it but then I only wanted to +1 F.T.,
I found his description, in all briefness, kind of spot on.
Thing is that if we write long/much, it's frowned upon. If we write short, those with a tendency to find a hair in every soup would easily find their "angle of attack" while the original meaning
was quite accurate and mostly well meant.