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CNN Live At Daybreak

We Have Come Up With New Way to Factor in Wind Chill

Aired November 06, 2001 - 06:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Back here, we want to focus on something that's going to affect people, especially in places where it is colder out there.

Dave Hennen is here to tell us about how this winter, no matter how much it feels like, is actually, technically, on the record books going to be a warmer one. and we know that ahead of time, because for the first time in -- what -- something more than 50 years, they have come up with a new way how to factor wind chill.

DAVE HENNEN, METEOROLOGIST: Right. And I guess the key to this, Daryn, is it's not going to feel as cold, because the old wind chill formula is kind of based on some old scientific technology, and based on some computer estimates and going through with some new signs in computer technology, we actually came up with a different wind chill formula. So it won't feel as cold this year. We are not looking probably at the 80 degree below wind chills that we've seen in the past, as seen by pictures here.

What is the wind chill? First of all, the wind chill is what the temperature feels like on the outside to people and animals. This does not affect things like cars. Those are inanimate objects. So those do not actually cool down below the actual temperature. Wind chill is based on the heat loss from exposed skin, and the higher the winds, the more heat that's carried away from the body. That's why when you have a much stronger wind, it feels that much colder.

Now, what's this new formula all about? That's measuring the wind at, say, face level, as opposed to being up at about 33 feet. That was what the old one was based on. So the wind obviously a little bit less at 5 feet than 33 feet.

And let's give you a couple of examples here. Let's say the temperature is zero outside, the wind 35 miles per hour. The old wind chill factor would have been a nice, brutal 51 degrees below zero, still cold with a new wind chill factor at about 27 below.

KAGAN: It's downright balmy.

HENNEN: Yes, downright balmy. Incidentally, we can tell you, too, that the lower wind speed is not affected on this. Here's an example of that. For instance, temperature, again, zero degrees, wind 10 miles per hour -- the old wind chill factor, 21 below, the new wind chill factor pretty close at 16 degrees below zero. One of the more interesting things we're trying to point on this, let's show you the new wind chill chart. One of the new calculations is based on how long it will take you to freeze. So you see at the bottom to get frostbite, 10 minutes at the darkest blue there, and up to 5 minutes when you get into the really cold wind chill factors. We're probably not going to see as much of that anymore.

But you get the idea that when the temperature, for instance, is zero, and the temperature wind speed about 20, it takes about 10 minutes or so to get frostbite.

I want to show you one more graphic, if we could go back to our graphic for you computer people out there. Here is the actual formula that we're talking about.

KAGAN: Oh, my goodness.

HENNEN: It's a pretty scientific formula, where T is temperature and V is wind speed. So get your physics book out there, and there it is in case you want to calculate it at home.

KAGAN: So we're going to be chilly. So as you point out, this is the first time since 1945...

HENNEN: Right.

KAGAN: ... they've come out with a new way to do this.

HENNEN: Right. This is based, back in 1945, Antarctica scientists there came up with this formula. It's been used in the Weather Service since 1973. It's based on a kind old science, and they wanted to also get together with the Canadians as well. So it's now a uniform North America formula...

KAGAN: Ah!

HENNEN: ... that everybody, both Canada and the U.S. will use.

KAGAN: So the Canadians can say they're as cold there as we are in the U.S.

HENNEN: Exactly.

KAGAN: Got it. Dave Hennen, thanks for explaining that. I know it went into effect last week. We were kind of busy -- didn't have a chance to look at it, but I know...

HENNEN: Right. And show (ph) you the warm up this winter.

KAGAN: ... a lot of people are going to be looking at that. Dave Hennen, thanks a lot.

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