It will freeze quite a bit in the coming days, down to about 8 degrees below zero. But anyone who goes outside will experience it considerably colder. That so-called perceived temperature in cold weather is always a lot lower than the actual temperature. What exactly is that and how do you actually measure the perceived temperature? Weatherman Wouter van Bernebeek explains.
“It will feel like 8 to 10 degrees below zero on Tuesday, while it will only freeze a few degrees. This is mainly due to the wind,” says the weatherman. It is therefore called ‘windchill’. According to Van Bernebeek, we are dealing with a strong northeasterly wind. It gives us cold air coming this way from Finland. At night, the perceived temperature can even drop to 11 to 15 degrees below zero.
Cold at times
So the wind makes it cold. The harder the wind blows, the colder it feels. “It is therefore not constantly cold, but at times. Especially when the wind blows hard, the perceived temperature drops.” In winter, says the weatherman, because in summer things work differently. Then the humidity also plays an important role in the perceived temperature.
But how do you calculate that perceived temperature? “Yes, that is difficult, but there is a formula for it. With a degree of frost and a wind speed of, for example, forty kilometers per hour, you quickly reach 10 degrees below zero.”
Wind is detrimental to natural ice
The wind that creates that cold feeling has a detrimental effect on good natural ice. This makes it more difficult for open water to freeze shut. “The wind keeps the water moving. I don’t think ice will form on open water for a while.” But weatherman Van Bernebeek sees opportunities in sheltered places.
“It will freeze 7 to 8 degrees for a few nights. In theory, that means the growth of 2 centimeters of ice per night. And that could mean that we might be able to skate for a while on Thursday.”
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