No, but I understand why you might think that. Any time it is cold and windy, we weather folks like to talk about the wind chill temperatures. Wind chill is nothing more than a way for us to express how it feels out.
With no wind a 50 degree morning isn’t too bad, but with a 30 mph wind it will send you back inside looking for your coat and gloves. The wind striking the front of your car as you travel does not cause the water in your radiator to freeze any faster. Water will freeze at 32 if the winds are 10 mph or 100 mph.
When I first read in my college text books “wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin.” I thought who in the world is running around with exposed skin in the winter? Then I remembered my mom always wanted me to wear our coat, hats, and gloves. She knew more about science than I ever gave her credit for.
When I forecast the temperature, especially the overnight low, wind is one of the things I closely monitor. If the winds stay up overnight the temperature is not as cold as it could be on a night with clear skies and light winds. Radiational cooling overnight is more efficient with light winds.
So while high winds overnight may make it feel colder, overnight winds may actually produce warmer temperatures. I wonder if mom knew that. If you have a weather question, send it to: askdan@kjrh.com
