Monday, December 11, 2017

What Does Wind Chill Really Mean?

Wind chill is a term commonly used by meteorologists when winter makes its way around every year. But, do we truly know what it means? It is also common for forecasters to use the terminology of "feels-like" temperature. That is because, essentially, the wind chill is how cold it actually feels on a person's skin when the wind is factored in.

This is because wind strips away a thin layer of warm air that resides above the skin. The stronger the wind, the more heat is lost from the body, and the colder one will feel. When winds are on the lighter side, it will feel closer to the actual air temperature.

There are charts that help people determine wind chill temperature, where you find the value closest to the wind speed and coincide it with imaginary lines where air temperature and wind speeds intersect.

Hypothermia and frostbite are serious dangers that comes with wind chill, so it is necessary to bundle up and make sure your body temperature does not drop below 95 degrees. 


Original article by Brian Donegan found here: https://www.wunderground.com/news/2017-12-11-wind-chill-feels-like-temperature-winter-explainer

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