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If you went outside Friday in the D.C. area, it feels like one of those days that seems colder than what the temperature is.
Meteorologists often mention “feels like temperature” when temperature numbers seem like they don’t match what it feels like outside.
7News First Alert Senior Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff said he understands.
“I get it, ‘What do you mean it’s not the real temperature?’ If you have a thermometer out there, and you’re measuring the actual air temperature, the air temperature is what the air temperature is,” he said.
The “feels like temperature” is the same as wind chill, van de Graaff said.
Understand?
“Wind chill is a term used by meteorologists to describe how it would feel to (exposed) human skin when you combine cold air and gusty winds,” he said.
So, “feels like temperature” isn’t just what the thermometer reads, it describes how the human body would experience it, “with skin that’s not covered or insulated,” van de Graaff said.
The “feels like temperature” would be different for someone standing outside in a bathing suit than for a person in a warm winter coat.
“If you’re covered in layers and holding that body heat in, with a big winter coat, 29 degrees would not feel any colder to your chest if it’s covered in a coat,” van de Graaff.
The goal isn’t to confuse you, van de Graaff said.
“Our job as meteorologists is to give you a forecast, and also help you prep before you step out the door,” van de Graaff said.
Sometimes the numbers on a weather map don’t tell the entire story.
“Maybe you’ll see a temperature of 45, and go, ‘OK, it’s winter, 45’s not that bad,'” van de Graaff said. “But, if I’m telling you there’s going to be 40-mile-an-hour gusts, and it could feel like 18 to 20 degrees, you’re going to dress differently.”
As with the heat index in summer, he said the “feels like temperature” is a way to help you dress for the weather.
“Really, it’s just an indicator for you at home to say, ‘Hey, I do need that hat, I do need that scarf,'” van de Graaff said.