Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Intraseasonal Variations of Winter Wind Chill Temperatures across Canada and the United States

Macy E. Howarth Department of Geoscience, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, and Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York

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Neil F. Laird Department of Geoscience, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York

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Print Publication:
01 Nov 2017
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0394.1
Page(s):
2951–2962
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Abstract

Wind chill temperature (WCT) is a measure of the human sensation of cold and also is a parameter used to represent the severity of winter weather. This study provides a unique investigation to quantify the spatial patterns of monthly mean, extreme, and severe WCTs across Canada and the United States. WCT was examined across 45 winters (December–February) spanning 1969/70–2013/14 using 156 surface locations reporting hourly meteorological conditions. Intraseasonal analyses of WCT showed that January had 1) the coldest mean WCTs, 2) the most extreme WCTs as statistically represented by the coldest 1% of the monthly WCT frequency distribution at each surface location, and 3) the greatest frequency of severe WCT hours that were ≤ −32°C. The most extreme WCTs were most often located in the Hudson Bay region of Canada, and north-central and northeastern North America experienced the largest monthly changes in WCT during the winter season. Results suggest that intraseasonal changes of air temperature are the primary influence on variations of WCT and that changes of wind speed are a secondary factor.

© 2017 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Neil F. Laird, laird@hws.edu

Abstract

Wind chill temperature (WCT) is a measure of the human sensation of cold and also is a parameter used to represent the severity of winter weather. This study provides a unique investigation to quantify the spatial patterns of monthly mean, extreme, and severe WCTs across Canada and the United States. WCT was examined across 45 winters (December–February) spanning 1969/70–2013/14 using 156 surface locations reporting hourly meteorological conditions. Intraseasonal analyses of WCT showed that January had 1) the coldest mean WCTs, 2) the most extreme WCTs as statistically represented by the coldest 1% of the monthly WCT frequency distribution at each surface location, and 3) the greatest frequency of severe WCT hours that were ≤ −32°C. The most extreme WCTs were most often located in the Hudson Bay region of Canada, and north-central and northeastern North America experienced the largest monthly changes in WCT during the winter season. Results suggest that intraseasonal changes of air temperature are the primary influence on variations of WCT and that changes of wind speed are a secondary factor.

© 2017 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Neil F. Laird, laird@hws.edu
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Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology

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