(WFRV) – Wisconsin winters are no stranger to below zero wind chills. Throughout the month of January, we have seen many Wind Chill Advisories issued for Northeast Wisconsin. Since we still have more bone-chilling nights ahead of us in the near term. What exactly does wind chill mean? 

In the cold, our bodies lose some heat through convection. Without any wind present, a layer of heat remains to help us stay warmer. However, when the wind is blowing, the moving air breaks up that layer.

As a result, heat loss will speed up, making it feel much colder. In essence, your body “feels like” the air is much colder outside if there is wind. 

Frostbite can become a major concern with exposed skin when arctic-like air moves in. With a -18 degree wind chill, it can take 30 minutes for frostbite to occur. When the wind chill drops just 14 more degrees to -32, frostbite will occur much quicker in just 10 minutes.

Typically our coldest temperatures and wind chills of the day occur in the early morning to morning hours in the winter when we have clear skies, so just be careful when heading outside in arctic air.