Heads Up Michigan, the Term Wind Chill is Going Away

Some habits are really hard to break, including terminology used to describe specific weather patterns. For most of our lives, we've used the term "wind chill" to describe how cold it feels when the wind is blowing in addition to low temperatures. The term has been used for the past 80 years, though that is no longer the case.

According to WoodTV, the National Weather Service is making a change to the way they describe dangerous cold conditions. The change, which is going into effect this season, will allow the NWS to communicate that cold is dangerous with or without wind. While this may be beneficial to meteorologists, I think it's going to take a while before the general public catches on. The terminology isn't as easy to describe as a simple wind chill warning anymore.

New National Weather Service Weather Alert Terms

• Wind Chill Watch is now an Extreme Cold Watch
• Wind Chill Warning is now an Extreme Cold Warning
• Wind Chill Advisory is now a Cold Weather Advisory
• Hard Freeze Watch is now a Freeze Watch
• Hard Freeze Warning is now a Freeze Warning

A hard freeze occurs when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or colder.

Basically, the National Weather Service wants to emphasize that cold is cold, regardless of the wind. It makes sense but will be a little tough to get used to. They also say it's more consistent with the terminology used for heat warnings.

The change went into effect on October 1st.

RIP, Wind Chill.