Portions of this entry contributed by Dana Romero
Portions of this entry contributed by Karl Anderson
The wind chill factor calculates wind speed at an average height of five feet (the typical height of an adult human face) based on readings from the national standard height of 33 feet (the typical height of an anemometer). It is s based on a human face model and heat transfer theory and incorporates heat loss from the body to its surroundings during cold and breezy/windy days. The original wind chill scale was created in 1945 and known as the Siple and Passel Index.
The wind chill scale was recently modified. and lowers the calm wind threshold to 3 miles per hour, uses a consistent standard for skin tissue resistance, and assumes no radiant warming from sun. It is calculated as
where T is the temperature in Fahrenheit and v is the wind speed in miles per hour at a height of 10 meters.
The wind chill factor is a purely subjective concept, since it expresses how cold the outside conditions feel to the body.
Heat Index, Humidity, Temperature
References
The Green Lane, Environment Canada's World Wide Web Site. "Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC): Wind Chill Science and Equations." http://www.msc.ec.gc.ca/education/windchill/science_equations_e.cfm.
The Green Lane, Environment Canada's World Wide Web Site. "Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC): Environment Canada's Wind Chill Program." http://www.msc.ec.gc.ca/education/windchill/index_e.cfm.
Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services, NOAA, National Weather Service. "Wind Chill Chart and Definition with Calculation Table." http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml.
van Vlijmen, O. "Meteorologie: Gevoelstemperatuur (Windchill)." http://home.hetnet.nl/~vanadovv/Meteo.html.
