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BothsidesistFraud

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We should stop reporting cold temperatures using wind chill, "Real Feel" and other numbers that are not the actual temperature (self.opinionhavers)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by BothsidesistFraud to c/opinionhavers

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People are doing a lot more talking about cold temperatures using the "feels like" number. This has happened a lot more in the past few years, probably because apps are highlighting this number more. Using feels-like is narcissism-driven, because the feels-like number is always lower, so it sounds like the weather is worse than it really is.

People argue that the feels-like number better reflects how cold it actually is, but of course that's wrong because if it's windy, you dress for the wind, and if possible you stand where you're out of it.

The feels-like numbers also don't factor in the sun. 20F, cloudy, and windy feels a lot different than 20F, sunny, and windy.

So basically this is all just a way for people to dramatize the daily weather more and narcissistically increase their victimhood and suffering.

Obviously, wind chill serves a useful scientific purpose.

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[–] jqubed 3 points 1 day ago

These wind chill and “feels like” numbers actually serve an important purpose, not simply for narcissistic, “making it sound worse than it is” purposes. These temperatures give an equivalent for how the human body will react. On the cold side, the wind makes the body more susceptible to frostbite and other related dangers. If it’s -10 but windy enough to have wind chill of -25, this is indicating that exposed skin will be at risk of frostbite much faster, in the same amount of time as if the temperature was -25 with no wind. This is important so that people dress appropriately when outside; if they only dress for -10 they could be seriously injured. Similarly on the warm side, a heat index is driven by humidity. High humidity makes sweat less effective at cooling the body, so people outside have a higher risk of heat stroke or other potentially life-threatening conditions.

On both ends of the scale these numbers are meant to help people who will be outdoors to take appropriate precautions. It’s of little importance for people who will only be outside a few minutes as they move from a vehicle to a building, but for those who must be outside for long periods (such as for work) these numbers can help them take precautions against serious or even life-threatening injuries.