at 9:09 AM by Mallory Schnell

Wind Chills Across the U.S.

The “Arctic Blast” has been the weather topic of discussion lately, as brutal wind chills affect much of the country. According to the Capital Weather Gang, 190 million Americans (over half of the U.S. population) were under a wind chill warning or advisory Wednesday morning. These wind chill warnings and advisories discontinued Wednesday night for the Upper Midwest but will continue to affect parts of the Midwest and Northeast through this afternoon.

As wind chills dipped to 30 and 40 degrees below zero in some locations this week, it is important to remember the dangers associated with wind chill. Wind chill is the “cooling effect of wind on exposed skin” (NOAA); it takes into consideration both the air temperature and the wind to compute what the air “feels like”. Wind chills of 20 degrees below can cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes (Capital Weather Gang). Below is the National Weather Service’s Wind Chill Chart:

windchill
via National Weather Service

Here in Kentucky, we’ve been experiencing subzero wind chills, but we’re not alone. The Arctic Blast’s effects are being felt all across the United States.