Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Or, more precisely, the pretense that it is important is fake. In my experience, during the Winter, TV meteorologists report the wind chill factor about twice as often as the actual temperature and often use fake synonyms such as "feels like temperature."

From Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_chill , "Wind-chill or windchill, (popularly wind chill factor) is the perceived decrease in air temperature felt by the body on exposed skin due to the flow of air."

That would be useful information, if you were naked outdoors. If you wear clothes, wind chill is nearly useless. If you want to estimate the cost of heating your house, wind chill is completely useless.

The reporting of wind chill factor is detrimental to society because:

1. It adulterates and obfuscates useful information such as the actual temperature and wind velocity. If the viewer isn't alert, he or she may mistake the reported wind chill factor for the actual temperature and make bad decisions. After all, wind chill is reported much more often than temperature.

2. The reporting of wind chill factor needlessly causes anxiety in many people because they are too stupid to know that it is unimportant.

If TV meteorologists were moral, they would report the temperature and wind velocity instead of the wind chill factor and give the formula and URL of a website for calculating the wind chill factor in a little banner across the bottom of the screen:



https://www.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc_windchill


In summary, TV meteorologists are moral scum, even the beautiful weather girls.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

https://www.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc_windchill

:woohoonaner::woohoonaner:

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

An equation with variables is detrimental to society. And units like kcal/m2/h are even more dangerous!

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Suppose you grow banana plants outdoors in Florida. The weatherman reports a temperature of 33 deg. F. and a wind chill of 20 deg. F. (wind is 25 mph). You think, "Oh no, my banana plants are going to freeze!" Wrong, your banana plants will stay above freezing at 33 deg. F. . Similarly, you are in no danger of frost bite, even if you don't wear gloves or ear protection. Now, suppose the weatherman reports a temperature of 20 deg. F. and a wind chill of 20 deg. F. (the wind is zero). You reason, "I survived a wind chill of 20 deg. F. before without gloves and ear protection so I can do it again." Wrong, now you get frostbite and lose your ears and fingers, all because the weatherman convinced you that wind chill is important.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

I guess it may be useful to understand how long a banana plant can withstand sub-freezing temperatures. The more wind chill, the faster a plant will freeze.

A plot showing hourly wind chill and hourly temperature would be interesting. No matter what, if the weather man/woman is reporting a wind chill number it means wear winter clothes....

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

You can guestimate everything you want to know more accurately from temperature and wind velocity. Velocity is speed and direction. Everyone knows that it feels worse when exposed skin faces the wind. And, everyone knows that walking/running in the wind direction lessens its cooling effect. Thus, wind chill is even more ill conceived because it doesn't take wind direction into account.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

got my own formula.

walked outside it was 37 f, the wind was blowing. I said @$#% &*@@ ?*^# ##^& its cold. went back inside.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

LMAO!.......walkinbeam strike again!......LOL!.......

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Yeah, always thought wind chill was a way people living in warm climates could complain about the winter, convincing themselves that 40F winters were really 20F winters.

"Just got back from Russia. Man, it was -5F over there. Cold!"
"Dude, it gets that cold here in Pensacola with the wind chill factor"

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Many years ago, while in flight school at NAS Pensacola, we had snow. Enough that some of the guys built a snowman.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Snowmen are the universal language for fun.....

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Just in case...

Stuck tongue on a pseudostem

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

NY - I grew up in Pensacola... You were part of once in 50 yr event. :goteam:

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Most people, especially women, sacrifice comfort for fashion. In the 1950s, girls in Chicago wore dresses, even at zero deg. F.. It was unusual to see girls in pants, even jeans. Also, earmuffs without other headgear were popular for boys and girls.

I walk over 30 miles/week for exercise in all kinds of weather and I regard myself an expert on practical attire for cold weather. The best head gear is a $3 ski mask. One ski mask is comfortable when the temperature is 15 to 32 deg. F. and two ski masks (two layers) are comfortable -10 to 15 deg. F.. And, when I go inside a store, I can store the ski masks in my coat pocket. The wind doesn't matter much except, when windy, it is slightly better to wear sun glasses to protect the eyes. For leg gear, I wear polyester sweat pants under regular pants. This is comfortable from -10 to 32 deg. F.. For the torso, I wear three layers. A tee shirt, a polyester sweat shirt, and a medium thickness coat that is much thinner than most people's coats. This is comfortable from -10 to 32 deg. F.. For hands, I just wear $6 plastic gloves. My footwear consists of one layer of cotton socks and $20 Dr. Scholl's sneakers with velcro straps from Walmart. I'm surprised that my feet never get cold, I can't explain it. But, if inadequate, the obvious thing to do is wear two layers of socks.

The point is that my attire in cold weather is unfashionable but absolutely comfortable. And, I am much more comfortable in the Winter than in the Summer.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Just to prove my point that fashion takes precedence over comfort, here is a photo of three Russian women at -86 deg. F.:


I guarantee that these women would be more comfortable wearing three layers of $3 ski masks and sunglasses, but, then the fashion police would arrest them.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

by the snow on the branches of the trees I would say none.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

I am from Illinois. I used to work outdoors for hours in all kinds of cold. Your feet stay warm because you keep moving and likely have shoes which fit loosely, but a second par of socks restricts blood flow and makes them colder. I have tried. (Unless you wear shoes 4 sizes too big with xtra large socks over regular ones.) You are correct about the t shirt, long sleeve shirt of some kind and I wore a hoodie. (I added a stocking cap if it was really cold or windy.) Long johns under my jeans was always plenty warm.
Anyway, getting frozen tissue injuries, when it is 20 degrees out is rare as it's not really cold enough to freeze living flesh.
I agree, the wind chill is more to shock or scare viewers so they pay more attention to the news, which translates to ratings. For those who understand what it means, it can be helpful in saving time on math.
When it's really cold now, I put on jeans and a long sleeve shirt because I now live in Florida.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

As someone who is quite frequently that way at my cabin, it is very useful, particularly when there is snow on the ground. I have no power or running water, so I have to wash up with snow. If the wind were blowing, it would be a little uncomfortable.

Here in town, my neighbors tease me about not wearing a shirt when it's in the 20's, so a couple weeks back when we got several inches of snow on the ground, I went outside for a smoke, wearing a pair of shorts; no shirt, no shoes, and casually ambled around the yard. That really threw 'em for a loop.

Re: Wind Chill is Fake News
 

Why don't you bring the snow into the cabin, let it melt, and then wash yourself with soap and water, like the pioneers did?