So, Just How Cold Is It Going to Get Tonight, Tuesday Night In Tri-Cities? Wind Chill Explained

So, we hear so much about wind chill.   Our forecast is calling for breezy conditions Monday and Tuesday night, with lows near 25.   So what is the wind chill?

We used to wonder as well, until we found this handy-dandy NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration)  wind chill chart.   NOAA are part of the folks who bring you the National Weather Service.

What is wind chill?  It's the temperature effect created by adding wind to cold temperatures.   For example, if it's 25-26 degrees, but 20 mph. winds,  your body is actually being exposed to much colder temperatures.

No, we never excelled at math.  But using the version we downloaded some time ago, we concluded the following:

•   If the lows do get to around 25 degrees and the forecast winds hit at least 20-25 as predicted then the wind chill will actually be somewhere between 9 and 11 degrees!  That's the temperature your body is being subjected to.
• Wind chill can be deceiving.   It may not be that cold outside, but if a stiff wind is blowing, it can quickly have an effect on your body.

We bring up that specific temperature example (25 degrees, 20 mph. winds)  because if we do get the temps and wind that's in the forecast,  that's where the wind chill will be.

It's also interesting to note that according to the NOAA,  wind chill can bring about frostbite very quickly.  At temperatures of even 10 degrees, if the wind is gusting in the 40-50 mph range, frostbite can result in less than 40 minutes!

So now, you know a little more of how to make sense of cold temps, windy conditions, and wind chill.

We all now qualify for our Jr. Jr. Meteorologist badge!