Have you notice they are reporting wind chills as if they were real temperatures.

[edhopper]

The Wind Chill index is an interesting algorithm, and certainly important info in times of extreme cold like this.
BUT IT"S NOT THE REAL TEMPERATURE!
Factors like clothing and whether you are in the wind or not are crucial.
I just watched an entire weather report where all that was sited was the below 0 wind chills.
the actual temperatures the next several days only appeared on the 5 day forecast at the end of the segment.
So no it wasn't -63 in Chicago or -55 in Minn.
It was cold as all get out, but the sensationalism of reporting the wind chill as the temperature is infuriating.

[Gravitycollapse]

1. Wind chill is a better measure of physical consequences on the human body...

Than temperature alone.

[edhopper]

12. on naked skin

Standing in the wind.

[Gravitycollapse]

23. Heat convection occurs on any exposed surface above ambient temp.

That includes the outer layers of clothing, although less so than on bare skin.

[jeff47]

40. No, the wind chill still has similar effects on clothed areas.

The outside of your parka will experience heat loss like it was -50 in still air. It just won't kill you because you're wearing a parka.

[Atman]

56. Wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects.

Your car doesn't care about wind chill, only real temperature. Nor does your coat.

[jeff47]

66. Yes, inanimate objects are not conscious.

However, the rate of their heat loss accelerates when the wind is blowing.

That's why you blow on hot food to cool it off faster.

[NM_Birder]

67. Wind chill...........

relates to the effect of moisture evaporating from your skin.

wind chill cannot lower the temperature of an object lower than the ambient temperature in the object's environment.
If it is 40 degrees outside and you bring your bowl of hot soup outside, it can only lower the temperature of the soup to 40 - no lower. Wind chill will cool the soup faster, like in your "blow on hot food example", but it cannot cool it lower than the actual temperature.

Skin will "feel" like it's colder than 0, because of the evaporation rate.

0 degrees and 10 mph winds "feels" colder because of your skin, but it is still only 0 degrees.

[jeff47]

68. Evaporation is only one factor.

When trying to lump "wind chill" into a single number, you inherently exclude a lot of details. For example, the evaporation you mentioned isn't relevant for dry objects. Thermal resistance of skin is much higher than metals. The wind chill number for an animal would be different than for a human, and so on.

So a "-20 wind chill" will not mean that a warm hunk of steel cools at exactly the same rate as the warm hunk of steel in -20 calm winds. However, it will cool significantly faster than the ambient temperature would imply, since the air around the steel is constantly replaced.

We produce a number for people because we relate to that. While you can not use it as a precise measurement for other objects, it can give you a general idea.

[NM_Birder]

82. Wind, regardless the velocity/speed...........

will not cool an object colder than the ambient temperature.

The rate at which an inanimate object cools is directly related to density, and materials ability to transfer/contain thermal energy. A warm glass of water will cool faster than a warm bar of steel, yet neither will ever be colder than the ambient temperature.

Stick a nervous system in them, and as the moisture is transpired off by the wind, it will "feel" colder due to transpiration and it will react to warm itself.

Wind at -30 degrees is still just -30 degrees, your brain is making you feel colder because of transpiration, but it is still only -30.

yes, I agree virtually every animal on the planet is better equipped to resist "wind chill", but the principle is the same.

[hedgehog]

77. Wind chill has no effect on objects that aren't generating

heat to maintain a certain temperature. Watch the needle on the gas meter whiz around when there's a high wind!

[uppityperson]

76. As a child growing up in the flatlands, I was intrigued by "on bare skin", wondering how and why the

made a naked person stand outside to see how quiuckly they froze dead and solid. It was intriguing and disturbing.

[upaloopa]

2. Wind chill is a more dramatic number sells more

add space then a weather report.

[Glassunion]

3. As a motorcycle rider

I strictly stick to a windchill scale at a steady 50mph to measure air temps.

[etherealtruth]

4. Its -9 Fahrenheit right now

The wind chill is something like negative 23. It is ridiculously cold.

[Siwsan]

5. Emphasis on wind chill reports used to drive my Dad crazy

I understand the need to illustrate to people the effect that wind has on temperature, and that they should cover exposed skin, but yea, it's what the air FEELS like on exposed skin, not the actual air temperature. Long before they started reporting wind chill, I knew it was better to cover as much exposed skin, as possible, when the air temp approaches 0. Common sense.

[pinto]

6. It's a a good PSA about exposure related risks. Yeah, it's played up and gets attention.

But overall a good heads up.

[NightWatcher]

7. The reason they are going nuts re: windchill

is because they can't say "holy fucking shit" on the news.

[Aerows]

48. I'm on the Gulf Coast

They called the house last night to warn us because it is going to be "holy fucking shit" here. It's dipping into the teens, and that is "holy fucking shit" in the Deep South with the humidity we have here on top of it. Humidity is still like 80%, we have strong winds, and frankly, it's cold as hell.

[TexasProgresive]

58. I named that combination Texas factor

Near freezing to below freezing plus high humidity equals holy shit cold and some wind and it cuts through your layers to the bone.

Move to spring on the coast or even up here 80+ degrees plus 80+% humidity and you can work up a drenching sweat by just breathing.

[mstinamotorcity2]

62. You know Nightwatcher....

I like your explanation best. does it for me

[sharp_stick]

8. They've all been doing it

and it pisses me off because they no longer bother to qualify the numbers. Everyone takes the windchill value as the actual number. I guess it makes the weather guy think he's cool and the poor dopes that have to go outside feel tougher.

[jwirr]

49. I think there is a reason they do this. If they simply used to real temp many people would say that

is cold and never realize that it is a dangerous situation. Weather forecasts need to be the warning we get when something is dangerous. Before we had such a good system many died because of a snow storm or other storm they did not expect. I want them to continue to report it this way.

[Viking12]

9. The fact is: It matters.

It's -13 right now. I dare you to stand outside my house right now and tell me that the -38 windchill isn't real or that it doesn't matter. You have obviously never experienced this kind of weather; for those of us that deal with it regularly, we know.

[edhopper]

11. what if I stand on the side of your house away from the wind.

And yes I have been in -10.
I also said it matters,but it's not the actual temp.

[hedgehog]

13. Flip to the opposite - I've been comfortable in a sweater standing outside

in the noon sun on a still day when the temperature was 0. Wind speed really does make a difference i how your body manages heat. The people listening to the broadcast don't really care about actual temperature vs windchill - they want to know what clothes they'll need on the commute home.

The analog is the heat index which takes into account relative humidity. Again, the relative humidity may be the differenc between a pleasant day and heat stroke!

[MillennialDem]

22. I live in WI, it's not the same as -38 in still wind. Not even CLOSE.

[Gormy Cuss]

36. +1

The wind chill factor is a good reminder that it feels colder than the thermometer would indicate but there is a difference because you can get out of the wind and feel warmer.

[laundry_queen]

42. I'd personally rather -40 without wind

than a windchill of -40. I hate wind in the winter...it goes through everything.

And yes, I've lived in areas that has a regular temperature of -40 to -50 in the winter, usually without wind (middle of a forest, we rarely got wind) and currently I live in an area that is slightly less cold, but windy as hell. I hate it in the winter (it's great on hot summer days though, LOL). Wind in the winter has a tendency to throw snow everywhere too and it can sandblast your face. Much worse than -40 without wind.

[Gold Metal Flake]

10. "Extreme cold + windchill = no global warming" - Your Corporate Media Masters.

[truedelphi]

27. I don't know if there is that much thought it.

I think they want the headlines, so on their commercial blurb they can state the extreme, and get people to watch the news program.

But on the other hand there could be the realization that this helps defeat the idea of Climate Change.

[angstlessk]

14. The actual temperature is NEVER what it is when you are cozily in your home...

Outside temp -13...home temp 60......so the wind chill factor is what it is like if you are OUT of your cozy home...

[edhopper]

16. and naked

And without the sense to get out of the wind.

[Gravitycollapse]

26. False, heat loss occurs at any surface exposed to wind...

That is above ambient temperature. In other words, while wind chill will have a greater effect on bare skin, it is still important even if you are bundled up.

[reformist2]

15. Wind chill matters when it comes to heating your home - same principle applies.

[tblue37]

19. Or protecting pets and livestock! nt

[Shandris]

34. Is this actually true?

The NOAA and information on the wind chill states that wind chill has no actual effect on inanimate objects. I had thought the same thing, but I've got to tell you...it's not one bit colder in my house right now than it is when it's a flat -10, despite it registering as -39.

[reformist2]

37. That's probably not what it says - it probably says nothing actually cools to the wind chill temp.

What the wind does is make you (or any warm object, even a house) cool off *as if* the surrounding air were x wind chill degrees. But you (or the object) cools off to the actual temperature, not the wind chill temp.

[Shandris]

38. Ahh, okay yah.

I see the distinction now; I just didn't translate it well.

Thanks!

[NutmegYankee]

39. Wind chill is a measure of heat loss from the human body.

It's basically taking into account the h factor from convective heat transfer. While it is true that the air temperature is just that, and wind won't make it drop lower than the actual temp, it does cool an object down faster. Think of a spoon with soup - given enough time it will cool down to room temp. But to speed that up, we blow on it, which now helps remove heat faster and get it cooler quicker. For human skin, once it freezes it's all over.

Now the air moving by your house is only at -10, but that there is a wind means that the wind can pull heat from your home faster. Obviously, much like mine did against -9, the furnace can keep up. I did notice the drafts were worse when it was windy, but my home is 53 years old.

[edhopper]

17. to be clearif you read my OP

I am not saying not to report the wind chill, I am saying the use it instead of the temp. Big difference.

[LanternWaste]

61. Which news outlets are reporting wind chill only?

Which news outlets are reporting wind chill only?

[edhopper]

63. Local ABC and NBC

in New york City. The whole weather segments, it was wind chill only, even on the maps. At the end when they showed the 5-day forecast, they had temps.

[Peregrine Took]

18. I've lived in Chicago for 69 years and never felt as cold as today.

I really thought at one point I would just have to turn back and go home. Wind chill went right through my clothes. Going back home I had to take a cab - just couldn't do it.

[truedelphi]

25. You have my sympathy.

For years, I have missed the cold weather and the snow.

But once in my sixties, I have to admit I really am glad to be in a somewhat warmer climate.

I think of the time, when I was on an upper floor of a Michigan Avenue skyscraper, and as a nasty winter storm raged, my office mates and me watched a poor woman hanging on for dear life to a light pole, while the wind tried to blow her down the street and into the Chicago River.

[Blue_In_AK]

20. I've noticed that.

Up here they always give the real ambient temperature and only mention wind chills if there are some really stiff breezes blowing - and as an afterthought.

[sarisataka]

21. Local news always reports temp and windchill

right now it is -15 F wind chill -38

It is an important number for your skin. Walking out to the car find, take out the trash ok- a sweater will work if not actually comfortable.
If you need to be out for a long time, like ten minutes or so, you really want to have a good coat, gloves (better mittens), hat to cover your head and ears and hopefully will give some face protection.
That -15 will be very cold without that protection but the -38 will cause frostbite. Big difference.

[edhopper]

24. my point is

My local news did not report the temp, ONLY the wind chill. They showed the temps at the very end, but just concentrate d on the wind chill.

[sarisataka]

28. That is somewhat dishonest

and the actual air temp is a better gauge for how hard the car will be to start. Inanimate objects, for the most part, don't care what the wind chill is.

[rurallib]

29. some (weather reading) idiot stated that "antifreeze doesn't even work at -45"

Maybe, but wind chill doesn't affect antifreeze. The actual temp was @-20, and the antifreeze will work fine.

[Auntie Bush]

30. No it isn't the real temperature. But if you stand naked on a 20 degree windy day

you'll freeze a lot sooner than you would on a calm day. Don't believe me...try it and see for yourself. lol

[BlueStreak]

31. It is the usual BS media sensationalism

I ran the snow thrower for 40 minutes this morning when the temp was -10 with a wind chill of -35. I dressed for -10 and it was no problem as long as I didn't face into the wind.

If it were really -35, I could have only made it for about 15 minutes at a stretch.

The same media was droning on and on about just how treacherous the roads were. They weren't great, but they were passable by mid-day. Basically like the roads the "Ice Road Truckers" drive on.

[Journeyman]

32. Born & raised in South California, I spent an eternity one winter in North Dakota. . .

stationed there by the military. I'd never heard of windchill before then and had no concept how much it could add to a person's misery.

The coldest lifetime I endured while there was January 10, when the temperature fell below -28°F. That came smack in the middle of a 17 day stretch when the temperature never rose above freezing. We then warmed to 42°F for one day, then plunged into a 14 day stretch where the mercury never came close to cracking 30°F.

I remember that 42° tropical heat wave because the wind didn't blow that day. And because the wind didn't blow, we were able to run around outside in t-shirts tossing a football around.

So yeah, it's disingenuous to cite wind chill as the prevalent temperature, but it certainly has an impact for those in its midst.

[progressoid]

33. Weather porn.

[blogslut]

35. I don't care if it's the "real" temperature.

When you're like me and you walk everywhere and you live in an area of the country where the wind can sweep you off your feet, you can be damned sure you're gonna check to see what the wind is up to before you go outside.

[spanone]

41. i've noticed our local news becoming 'sensationalized'....

every night opens with 'breaking news'

whether it's breaking news or not.

[doc03]

43. I know I was watching CNN earlier today and found out the wind

chill factor in Fargo but don't know what the temperature was. It's just more media sensationalism they talk like this is the coldest it ever was and every damn snow storm now has a name like a hurricane. The fucking news media sucks more and more every day and fucking Faux started the bullshit. It's no longer news it's entertainment.

[doc03]

44. The damn media does it with everything now I see it

of all places on the History Channel now. They do a show on the Gettysburg Battle and say 50,000 soldiers died there, that was the casualties dead, wounded and missing. It was bad but there was more like 6000 killed there but they have to inflate the number for shock value. I have seen them inflate the deaths in WWII battles too. At least the History Channel should at least try to get the facts strait.

[pnwmom]

45. There's a good reason they do that. It's NOT sensationalism.

They want people to take care of themselves, and they WILL be safer if they dress and protect their skin as if it is as cold as the wind chill temperature. That was the entire point of inventing the wind chill scale -- to show the effects of the combined cold and wind on the human body.

Where my son goes to college, the temp today was -6. But the wind chill temp of -32 tells him that he better dress as if it's much colder than -6. Speaking as someone who once lived near Lake Michigan, a wind chill temp of -32 is pretty damn cold.

[adirondacker]

46. Exactly. Speaking from experience, and learning the hard way about windspeed and direction...

I had a near death experience as a teen in what was -28 F actual and -60 wind chill. My mother and I had an argument and I decided to X-country ski to a "fort" I had built in the woods to have some alone time. I bundled to the best of my abilities and made the half mile downwind trek across the field to the destination without any problems. After finding out that there was no way to maintain heat in the uninsulated plywood box, I decided to promptly make the return trip back to the storm that was brewing in the household.

The return trip was directly into the 35+mph winds and I could sense that it was not going to be as easy as the downwind trip. My body temp had already started to drop and it became painful to breath the cold air. I got within 200 yards of the house that was in plain sight and became overwhelmingly nauseous from my lungs that were freezing. It was pathetic that I could look at the house and feel frightened that it felt impossible to endure another few minutes of movement. I laid down in the snow, shoved my mouth into my coat and sucked up some warm air from my body heat for several minutes. I made it back with uncontrollable, almost violent shaking from chills and a sore chest. It took several hours near the woodstove and several cups of tea to feel alright again. My mother just asked "what was I was thinking?".

The funny thing is I can't remember what the argument was about. Probably borrowing the car.

[pnwmom]

50. Your story is every parent's nightmare.

I'm so glad you made it back.

I don't remember my lungs feeling like that, but I can remember the inside of my nose sticking together as I breathed in. And once I came back inside after ice skating, and only then realized my feet had gotten too cold. Boy, does the thawing out hurt. Luckily that's all it was-- pain.

[adirondacker]

54. Thanks. You can use my story as an example of stupid shit teens will do to spite their parents.

There's different ways to experience exposure.

I've had hands and feet go numb and yes, the thawing pain is torturous and can bring tears to the eyes. I made the mistake of running my frozen hands under warm water when I was a kid. I think I felt like chopping them off rather than deal with the raw, excruciating nerve pain that ensued.

I recall reading about a woman caught in an avalanche skiing and was rescued in the nick of time. What I found interesting is that she ironically found peace and comfort and a "feeling of warmth" after the panic stage . It fits well into the typical hypothermia description and many victims are found with clothing shed due to the overwhelming feeling of warmth.

My situation was nowhere near that comforting, since I was freezing from the inside out. Like I stated, it was absolutely nauseating, and thinking back, anything short of a respirator wouldn't have kept my airway from freezing. My head. hands and feet were fine, but it hurt to breathe and my body temperature was certainly well below normal.

We are having a few days of negative temps here with windchills down to -32. I think I'll stick to baking.

[pnwmom]

55. And maybe you need some hot chocolate.

[gollygee]

70. +1

It's to warn people that if they do go outside, they need to make damn sure their skin is covered.

[Aerows]

47. I'm not going to lie

I'm on the Gulf Coast and it is cold as hell here. It's in the low 20's right now, and expected to be in the teens. That's with high humidity that we always experience here, too, so it's a wet, freaking nasty mess of cold as hell.

[chillfactor]

51. in my state..the weather reports include..

both the actual temperature and the wind chill..

if you have to go outside on the temperatures it is important to know the wind chill temperature so you know how to bundle up.....

that is what your weather people are reporting....protecting yourself from the weather so you do not get harmed ..

sorry I do not see a problem with that....

[dem in texas]

52. Same thing as the weather reporter standing in the wind when reporting a hurricane

First they stand out in the wind and get blown around when reporting a hurricane. Then they start naming winter storms and now all we hear is wind chill. All we want is the weather facts, no fancy drama.

[VanillaRhapsody]

53. Its just Temperature Woo!

there....somebody had to say it!

[hobbit709]

57. The weather clowns on TV always go for the sensational values.

We had one here a few years back that came on with a "Hard Freeze Warning" and went on for about 10 minutes as to what to do-wrap your pipes, leacv faucets on, bring your plants and critters in, etc.
Then he forecast a low of 34°.
All I could think of was

[RobinA]

59. Yes I Have Noticed

and I also noticed that people are beginning to just accept it and are talking wind chill as if it were the temperature. I live in the Philadelphia area and keep hearing how it is -20. Uhm, no, it's not.

[kentauros]

60. Lewis Black has a good take on wind chill :)

[City Lights]

64. Haven't seen that.

Where I am (Chicago area) they report both the actual temperature and the wind chill.

[edhopper]

65. All day yesterday the headline of the HuffPost

was "Chicago -63", no it wasn't. For idiots who want to stand on the shores of Lake Michigan it might of felt like that, but it wasn't -63.
Wind chill is not temp. It can be part of the report (something I have repeatedly said, but still ignored by some posters here) but it is wrong to say those are the lows. Shoddy, sensationalistic reporting.

[pnwmom]

72. The wind chill number is more important for HUMANS to know about

than the regular temperature.

Inanimate objects aren't affected by the wind chill. Your car won't feel the difference. But human beings better dress for the wind chill temp, because any exposed skin WILL react as if it is that much colder outside.

[edhopper]

73. Ao you think going through a whole

weather segment ONLY talking about wind chill without mentioning the actual temps is good.
Interesting.

[pnwmom]

75. I didn't say that. But the wind chill number is more important

for humans to know about if they or their pets will be outside.

[edhopper]

80. But the point of my post

was that, and only that. Yet people keep responding as if i said wind chill wasn't important.

[CFLDem]

69. Now on DU- Weather Wars

[leeroysphitz]

74. I like how even NPR is hyping the dreaded Polar VORTEX!!!1!!1111

[redqueen]

81. When I listened this morning the guy was being decidedly non sensationalist.

He said it's not uncommon to have parts of the vortex, which is always around-just usually further north, break off and move over the US. The guy I heard was explaining it, rather than hyping it.

[Common Sense Party]

78. I wish they would report heat that way. "It's 98 degrees, but with 88% humidity it feels like unholy

hell."

[cbdo2007]

79. Thew news isn't there to be honest, they are there to cause fear.