[central_va]

Is it any surprise that overall in the Northern Hemisphere that average temperatures continue to fall even after the Winter Solstice has occurred in December, and the amount of sunlight starts increasing?

It takes awhile, in the fall, for the oceans in the northem hemisphere to cool. So by winter the oceans are cold and the temps keep going down.

[Yo-Yo]

It takes awhile, in the fall, for the oceans in the northem hemisphere to cool. So by winter the oceans are cold and the temps keep going down.

From Earth Science:

During winter, the Earth continues cooling after December 21 because the average outgoing thermal radiation remains greater than the incoming solar radiation. The huge thermal mass means that winter is centered around mid to late January rather than around December 21.

[TexasGator]

“It takes awhile, in the fall, for the oceans in the northem hemisphere to cool. So by winter the oceans are cold and the temps keep going down.”

Even though days are getting longer, there is still a net loss of heat resulting in lower temperatures.