NORFOLK, Va. — Feels-like temperatures are determined by a couple of different atmospheric factors.
On cold days, we can calculate the wind chill, one form of feels-like temperatures. Remember, feels-like temperatures are related to what the air feels like on your skin.
Wind chill takes into account the air temperatures and the speed of the winds five feet above the ground.
The body’s natural response to cold environments is to produce goosebumps. The goosebumps make your body hair stand up to try and limit how much heat your body loses.
When the air temperature is cold and the wind speed is high, the goosebumps and hairs can’t trap as much heat so your body feels colder on cold, windy days.
If the cold temperatures day by day remain the same, but the wind speed picks up, the wind chill's feels-like temperature will drop. Vice versa, if the wind speed remains the same but the temperatures continue to fall, so will the wind chill.
Once the wind chill falls to -18° or -19° or colder, frostbite can settle in 30 minutes or less.
On the other hand, on hot days, we can calculate the heat index.
The two factors needed to determine the heat index for the day are the actual temperature and the relative humidity. Relative humidity relates to the amount of moisture in the air.
To counteract the heat, your body begins to sweat. The water released onto your skin will start an evaporation process to keep you cool.
If the air is holding too much moisture already, the sweating evaporation process cannot work as efficiently. Thus, you feel hotter on really hot and humid days.
That's how your weather works!