wind chill / heat index

The sensation of cold or heat experienced by a person as a consequence of their skin being exposed to air, being greater or lesser depending on the combination of temperature, wind, and relative humidity. The sensation of cold increases as air temperature drops and wind intensifies, which accelerates the loss of heat from the human body. There are different indices - obtained from empirical formulas - that allow the so-called apparent or "feels-like" temperature to be estimated. The most widely used is the one used by the NMSs of the USA and Canada, known as windchill. There are calculation tables that, for a given temperature and wind speed, allow the corresponding feels-like temperature to be obtained. The sensation of heat or mugginess is mainly modulated by the combined effect of high temperatures and the air's moisture content. When relative humidity is high, we feel a higher temperature than the actual air temperature and begin to feel uncomfortable, as we have difficulty dissipating the heat our body generates internally. If our skin temperature is below 32°C, wind decreases the sensation of mugginess, but if it is above, it increases it. To determine this thermal sensation, the so-called heat index (Heat Index) is used. As with winchill, calculation tables have been drawn up.