system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why isn't the Winter Solstice the coldest day of the year?

If the Winter Solstice has the least amount of direct sunlight, then why is it typically warmer than say, January or February?
gpt
A lot of variables control temperature.  Different air masses, cloud cover, and wind mixing are just as important to regulating temperature as radiative heating is.  

Assuming a constant air mass, a noticeable time lag in the global radiative heating balance appears.  As summer progresses, more heat is entering the Earth and that continues well into the fall when a eventually a balance between the heat gained and the heat loss reach an equilibrium.  As fall progresses into winter, more heat is expected be lost but the swing between heat gain and heat loss takes awhile and then it takes more time for the heat loss to become dominant around January or so.