What is the Wind Chill?
The Wind Chill Temperature Index, sometimes also known as the equivalent temperature, is used to describe how cold people and animals feel when they experience heat loss caused by the combined effects of low temperature and wind. When the wind blows across exposed skin, it removes the insulating layer of warm air that lies adjacent to the skin. This in turn drives down the skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. The faster the wind blows, the faster the heat is carried away, the greater the heat loss and the colder it feels. A new Wind Chill Temperature Index took effect on November 1, 2001, replacing the original wind chill index that was derived in 1945. The original Wind Chill Index was developed by two Antarctic explorers and was based on research involving the time it took water in a plastic container to freeze. The new Wind Chill Temperature Index includes the latest advances in science, technology and computer modeling. It takes into account a calculated w
