wind chill

wind chill, a measure of the rate of heat loss from skin that is exposed to the air. It is based on the fact that, as wind speeds increase, the heat loss also increases, making the air “feel” colder. Wind chill is usually reported as a “wind chill temperature” or “wind chill equivalent”—that is, the temperature under calm air at which heat loss would be equal to the loss actually being experienced because of higher wind speeds. For example, a temperature of −25 °C (−13 °F) in calm air would have a wind chill temperature equal to the actual air temperature. Under these conditions, exposed skin would freeze in 30 minutes. At a wind speed of 40 km (25 miles) per hour, however, the wind chill temperature would be −41 °C (−42 °F), and skin would freeze in less than 10 minutes.

Wind chill indices, the formulas and assumptions used to calculate wind chill temperatures, have varied over the years. For the second half of the 20th century, weather forecasts in North America commonly used the Siple-Passel index, based on wind speeds measured by an anemometer 10 metres (33 feet) above the ground. During the winter of 2001–02, the U.S. National Weather Service (see also weather bureau) and the Meteorological Service of Canada introduced a new index based on heat lost from the exposed faces of 12 volunteers in a chilled wind tunnel. Calm air is considered to have winds of 5 km (3 miles) per hour or less. Clear night sky conditions are assumed, eliminating any warming effect of the Sun.