Before splitting hairs too much…. the contact patch in question…wide or narrow has to have the ability to shed water to not hydroplane. A bald 1/4 inch patch is just as dangerous, actually more so then say a passenger car tire. Less chances to regain traction in the instance of slippage.
Also the contact patch on the bikes offer more room for deeper leans in turns. The “V” shape of the tire is specifically for that. The harder the lean the more rubber on the road. Cruisers are not made, or atleast by basic habits, for carving a turn at radical speeds which is why they have more of a “U” shape. Keeps a decent amount of straight line rubber.
Snow ( this is more for cages, if its snowing I hope you have better sense to stay off the highway on a bike)…. well the jury is out on that one… leave that to the drivers skill. I can float 33’s (inches) or 35’s over the top of snow or I could chose to run a meager 235 (metric) to try and “cut”my way through it. All depends on application and skill.
Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a prediction, but today…… is a Bi**h