SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ski-windchill-object-temp

Air is 0 F with a -19 F wind chill. How cold does a parked car get?

0 F, the actual air temperature.

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  1. -19 F, the wind chill
  2. 0 F, the actual air temperature ✔
  3. -38 F, double the wind chill

Why: Wind chill only describes how fast skin loses heat. Objects like cars, bikes and ski poles cool down to the air temperature, but no lower.

Huh, didn't know that: NWS calculates wind chill using wind speed at an average height of 5 feet.

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What often falls in winter but never gets hurt? Snow.
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References

Answer: 0 F, the actual air temperature. Wind chill only describes how fast skin loses heat. Objects like cars, bikes and ski poles cool down to the air temperature, but no lower.

  1. NWS: Wind chill chart www.weather.gov/safety/cold-wind-chill-chart
    The inanimate object will NOT cool below the actual air temperature.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. NWS: Wind chill chart www.weather.gov/safety/cold-wind-chill-chart
    Calculates wind speed at an average height of 5 feet, the typical height of an adult human face
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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