Book 7, Question 66
Why Does Wind Chill Make You Feel Colder?
Wind chill is how cold the air feels on your skin when the wind is blowing. Wind steals heat from your skin faster, so the same temperature feels colder. The air itself is not colder.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- At 0 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind, it can take more than 30 minutes for bare skin to freeze. With strong wind, it can take only a few minutes.
- At minus 20 degrees with a 45 mile-per-hour wind, frostbite can happen in 5 minutes or less.
- Fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of the nose are most likely to get frostbite.
- Wind chill does not make objects like car radiators or water pipes colder than the actual air temperature.
- Your head loses heat at about the same rate as any other uncovered part of your body of the same size.
- Snow reflects sunlight, so you can still get a sunburn in winter.
Sources: NOAA
Questions kids ask
Does wind chill freeze water pipes faster?
Objects like pipes cool faster in wind, but they never get colder than the actual air temperature.
Which body parts get frostbite first?
Fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of your nose.