Wind Chill Schmind Chill

As I’m fond of stating, there are two seasons here in Minnesota: Winter and August 14th.

What I find interesting is that there’s an actual debate raging (yes, I say, raging) amongst the academics and weather experts among the proper way to measure the wind chill. Apparently, the old way to measure the wind chill was to fly some hybrid anemometer/thermometer contraption at 20 feet above ground level. So, for example, on a day like today, when the air temperature was a balmly 3 degrees, the winds careening in from Canada at 25MPH (FYI — Canada is responsible for more than just polluting our beef industry) made the wind chill at -15 at 20 feet about the ground. However, the pundits opposed to the 20 feet level, think that the reading should come at ground level, which would lessen the impact of the wind and cause the wind chill to read at something like only -5 degrees.

As I’m fond of stating, there are two seasons here in Minnesota: Winter and August 14th.

What I find interesting is that there’s an actual debate raging (yes, I say, raging) amongst the academics and weather experts among the proper way to measure the wind chill. Apparently, the old way to measure the wind chill was to fly some hybrid anemometer/thermometer contraption at 20 feet above ground level. So, for example, on a day like today, when the air temperature was a balmly 3 degrees, the winds careening in from Canada at 25MPH (FYI — Canada is responsible for more than just polluting our beef industry) made the wind chill at -15 at 20 feet about the ground. However, the pundits opposed to the 20 feet level, think that the reading should come at ground level, which would lessen the impact of the wind and cause the wind chill to read at something like only -5 degrees.

Keep in mind here people that we’re talking Farenheit.

Either way, 20 feet vs. ground level, I still classify it as RFC: Really Cold.

I think that we should create a national holiday in honor of the person who invented the thermostat.

Sam

2 thoughts on “Wind Chill Schmind Chill”

  1. RFC

    I am right there along with you. Here at home the weather is about 20 some degrees and I am ready to migrate south. Wheather it is 20 feet above me or right at my feet, it is just too cold. Come back sun!

  2. Birthdays & holidays of famous thermometer pundits

    I say, let’s take a famous thermometer person’s birthday and make it the holiday 🙂

    • Galileo Galilei, February 15, 1564. Invented the first water thermometer, and widely credited entirely with the invention of the thermometer. However, he had no index for how hot it was, simply floating metal bubbles.
    • Santorio Santorio, birthday unknown, invented the first alcohol thermometer using a precursor to the Farenheit scale.
    • Gabriel Farenheit, invented the scale of measure that bears his name.
    • Anders Celsius, same reason. He called it “Centigrade”, though.
    • William Thompson, a.k.a. Lord Kelvin

    Since I had a lot of trouble finding birth dates, not just years, for everybody but Galileo, I say let’s celebrate his birthday as National Thermometer Appreciation Day. February 15th is particularly approriate, because here in Utah around that time, it is also definitely RFC… the thermometer is measuring “5” on Farenheit right now…

    —
    Matthew P. Barnson

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