SCIENCE FILE / An exploration of issues and trends affecting science, medicine and the environment
Q: What is the wind chill factor and how is it calculated?
A: The wind chill factor is a number that attempts to express how cold it feels when the wind is moving at different speeds. The term was created in 1939 by Antarctic explorer Paul A. Siple, who was a member of Admiral Byrd’s Antarctic expedition that year. Although meteorologists have a chart from which they can easily read wind chill factors, it can be readily calculated from the equation:
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 1, 1996 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday February 1, 1996 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 2 Metro Desk 2 inches; 53 words Type of Material: Correction
I Didn’t Know That: The formula for calculating wind-chill factor published in the Jan. 25 Science File was incorrect. The correct formula is:
W = 33 - (10.45 + 10*V - V)(33 - T)
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22.04
Where W is the wind-chill factor in degrees Celsius, V is the air speed in meters/second, and T is the air temperature in degrees Celsius.
W = 33 - (10.45 + 10*V - V)(33 - T))
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22.04
where W is the wind chill factor (in degrees Celsius), T is the air temperature in degrees Celsius, and V is the wind speed in meters per second. (note: * represents a square root sign).
