It is a physical fact that wind can take more of a person's body heat than still air can. So, the speed of the wind matters. At low temperatures, a little wind makes big difference in discomfort and even danger of frostbite. Years ago, a friend said I was getting a white spot on the side of my nose, a sign that I was beginning to develop frostbite. He said I should get inside immediately and I did.
We have been experiencing deep cold and strong wind. We more or less expect both during our winters. So, in a way, it is nothing new but this batch of cold weather is stronger, colder, more dangerous and more hyped than anything else we have had this whole season. We are close to being in the heart of winter. I use the rule of thumb that any season is at its midpoint in the third month after it began. For instance, winter began in the famous winter solstice, Dec. 21. Go to the next month (January) and then the next after that (Feb.). Take the 4th day of that month, February 4, and you have the midpoint of winter.
All that is purely on paper, not strongly connected to the world. But as paper models go, it is pretty good. We are less than a week from Feb. 4 and this is a natural time for noticeably inhospitable weather to descend on us. But, of course, in addition to actual blowing snow and howling winds, we have human reaction. We are built to be alert, and aware of danger, and to be excited by challenges. Right now, this computer reports the outside temperature to be -4°F. We can make it sound dangerous and seem more heroic (or idiotic) if we report that temperature in Centigrade: -20° C. Still, we can get more alarm or pride in ourselves or both by focusing on the windchill: -24° F.
Our house has plenty of windows but for this period of cold, we are trying out a new tactic: keeping the shades down across the windows. We don't have strong window darkening shades nor heavy insulating shades, but we do feel that the house is warmer with our shades down.
The local schools are closed and the university has cancelled classes until mid-day Thursday. That night is expected to have a low of -25, temperature, not wind chill. But Monday, my mid-winter day, is expected to have a high of 38°F. Positive, not negative.
