Here’s Why California Won’t Experience a Wind Chill This Year

You won’t be hearing about the wind chill in the weather forecast anymore. Weather authorities think we aren’t smart enough to understand what it means and have decided to try and dumb it down.

The problem is, the new name for wind chill doesn’t change anything. We’ll still be super cold. The real question is whether you will still call it ‘wind chill’ or jump on the new-name bandwagon.

First, the wind chill is the perceived sensation of cold due to wind movement which makes an actual temperature feel colder. You may also call it the ‘feels like temperature’. The government weather website says the wind chill isn’t a real temperature but ‘allows us to understand how heat is lost in the wind’.

The Wind Chill is Dead in CA - Here’s What it is Called Now

So, what is the new terminology for wind chill? Extreme Cold. No matter what you call it - it's how chilly it feels because of the wind.

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In the weather forecast and any weather alerts sent to your phone, you’ll see and hear it called one of 3 things:

• Extreme Cold Warning
• Extreme Cold Watch
• Cold Weather Advisory

Is that dumbed down enough for you? Advisory, Watch, and Warning hold the same meaning as with other alerts.

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California Won’t Experience a Wind Chill This Year But It Will Still Get Cold

Any bets on whether they’ll dumb it down to cold, really cold, and super cold in the future?

RELATED STORY: What is the Difference Between a Weather Watch, Advisory, and Warning