What is wind chill? How cold does that make you feel?

It’s been a cold and gusty week in Columbus and the wind chill in the area is steadily decreasing.

You’ve probably heard wind chill mentioned in passing in water cooler conversations or on a weather broadcast, but do you know what it really is?

I’m no longer surprised. Here’s what you need to know about wind chill.

What is wind chill?

Wind chill is the feeling of cold that people and animals feel outdoors, even when the air temperature is slightly warmer.

How does wind chill work?

As the wind increases, it removes more heat from the body, causing body and skin temperatures to drop, according to the National Weather Service.

How to calculate wind chill

Prepare to apply your middle school math skills.

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 don’t feel like doing your math homework, here’s a helpful graph of wind chill temperatures from the NWS.

Keep in mind that bright sunshine can reduce the effects of wind chill by 10 to 18 degrees.

Additionally, the NWS calculates wind chill only when temperatures are 50 degrees or less and winds are 3 miles per hour or faster.

How does wind chill affect temperature?

Technically speaking, it has no effect on air temperature at all. Wind chill indicates how cold it feels to people and animals, but a thermometer reading during strong and weak wind chills would be the same.

According to the NWS, inanimate objects like car radiators only cool to the air temperature. For example, if the air temperature is above freezing but the wind chill is below freezing, a glass of water left outside will not freeze.

Can you get frostbite from wind chill when the temperature is below freezing but the temperature is above freezing?

No, you can’t do that. According to the NWS, frostbite can only occur when the air temperature (not wind chill) is below freezing. However, hypothermia can still occur.

[email protected]

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Windchill Columbus, Ohio: What is it? How is it calculated?