It’s been a cold and windy week in Columbus, and the wind chill in the area has been steadily dropping.
You’ve probably heard wind chill mentioned in passing in water cooler conversations or during a weather broadcast, but do you know what it really is?
Wonder no more. Here’s what you need to know about wind chill.
What is perceived temperature?
Wind chill is how cold people and animals feel outside, even when the air temperature is slightly warmer.
How does perceived temperature work?
As the wind increases, it draws more heat from the body, causing body and skin temperatures to drop, according to the National Weather Service.
How to calculate the perceived temperature
Prepare to use your math knowledge in high school.
The formula for calculating wind chill in degrees Fahrenheit, when T is the air temperature and V is the wind speed, is:
Wind chill=35.74 + 0.6215T – 35.75(V^0.16) + 0.4275T(V^0.16).
If you can’t be bothered to do your math homework, here’s a handy wind chill graph from the NWS.
A graph of wind chill temperatures from The National Weather Service.
Keep in mind that bright sunshine can reduce the effect of wind chill by 10 to 18 degrees.
In addition, the NWS only calculates wind chill at temperatures of 50 degrees or lower and wind speeds of 5 km/h or faster.
How does wind chill affect temperature?
Technically, it doesn’t affect the air temperature at all. The perceived temperature is how cold it feels to people and animals, but a thermometer indicating high and low perceived temperature would be the same.
Inanimate objects, such as car radiators, will only cool to air temperature, the NWS says. For example, if the air temperature is above freezing but the perceived temperature is below freezing, a glass of water left outside will not freeze.
Can you get frostbite from wind chill when it is below freezing but the temperature is above freezing?
No, that’s not possible. According to the NWS, you can only get frostbite when the air temperature, and not the wind chill, is below freezing. However, you can still get hypothermia.
NHart@dispatch.com
@NathanRHart
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Wind Chill Columbus, Ohio: What is it? How is it calculated?
