Safety
National Program
The wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it FEEL much colder. If the temperature is 0°F and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19°F. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
The NWS Wind Chill Temperature uses advances in science, technology, and computer modeling to provide an accurate, understandable, and useful formula for calculating the dangers from winter winds and freezing temperatures. The index does the following:
Wind Chill converted to Knots.
Wind Chill Calculator (stays the same)
Note: The Wind Chill Temperature is defined only for temperatures at or below 50°F and wind speeds above 3 mph.
Additional information on cold-related health safety from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can be found here.
US Dept of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
Safety
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