The term "wind chill" is used to describe what the air temperature feels like on exposed skin for people and pets, mainly in the winter months.
Wind chill considers the air temperature and how fast the wind is blowing, and it only applies to living beings with skin.
The colder the temperatures are, coupled with higher wind speeds, the colder it will feel on the skin when you’re outside.
The temperatures can stay the same and when the wind picks up, that’s when we really notice a difference in how it feels outside.
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Our bodies regulate their temperature by naturally emitting heat into the air. This is known as convection.
When the wind is calm, we can feel the actual air temperature. When the wind picks up, it blows away the heat we naturally emit. This makes us feel cooler even if the temperature doesn’t change.
Think of when you have hot food. We blow on our food to cool it down faster. This is similar to the effect the wind has on our bodies.
Weather Explainers
In South Florida, we can experience wind chills in the 30s — especially in the winter months as strong cold fronts move through.
The air temperature could be 40 degrees, but a 20-mph wind will feel like 30 degrees. If the wind is calm, it’ll still feel like 40 degrees.
Even a 5-mph wind will calculate out to make 40 degrees feel like 36 degrees.
