It’s Not “Windchill” In Illinois Anymore: Here’s The New Name
After reading that a change was going to be made in the way we describe what winds can do to already-low temperatures, I got to thinking about how the words or phrase "wind chill" have already been replaced for the most part by the term "feels like."
The term wind chill has its origins going all the way back to some of the early days of polar exploration, according to Ksat.com:
While on the coldest place on Earth (Antarctica), explorer Paul Siple and polar scientist Charles Passel, decided to conduct an experiment by observing 250 grams of water in different temperature and wind conditions. They had an anemometer mounted at the same level. They found that the faster the wind blew, the quicker the water turned to ice. When winds increase, heat is carried away from an object or body at a faster rate, driving down the temperature.
And that wind chill, or "feels like" temperature is what makes a day with a temperature of 20 degrees feel like a day with temperatures around the zero mark.
So, Why Would We Need A Change? Wind Chill Is Exactly What It Says It Is, A Way Of Understanding The Difference Between Your Skin Temperature And What Your Skin Temperature Feels Like To You
Maybe that was just too descriptive for the weather community, and they wanted something a bit more nebulous sounding instead. Or, maybe they wanted a way to illustrate very cold weather without invoking what the wind does to the cold temperatures.
With that in mind, wind chill readings in Illinois and across the nations won't be described using the words wind chill anymore because, effective a week ago on the first day of October, 2024, wind chill terminology like “Wind Chill Watch” and/or “Wind Chill Warning/Advisory” has been changed to 3 descriptions: "Cold Weather Advisory," “Extreme Cold Watch," or "Extreme Cold Warning."
Here's What The Differences Are Between The 3 New Weather Terms
Let's use our area of Northern Illinois as an example. A "Cold Weather Advisory" would mean that conditions are right for the possibility of temperatures feeling like minus-35 degrees. The temperature ranges differ for advisories as you head further south
An "Extreme Cold Watch" is not unlike a tornado watch, which means that there's a good chance that temps will feel like it's minus-35 degrees or worse, but it's not a certainty.
Then comes the "Extreme Cold Warning." That means that not only are conditions right and likely, but that it's almost certain the temperatures will feel like they're below minus-35 degrees within the next 12 to 36 hours.
LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state
Gallery Credit: Anuradha Varanasi