SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Temperatures have been cold since the start of December, with high temperatures staying below freezing, and lows reaching nearing zero degrees. With these cold temperatures, wind chill is a real risk we must factor in.
Wind chill is the “feel like” temperature when the wind blows, making us feel colder. How exactly do the winds make us feel colder than what the thermometer reads?
Our bodies radiate heat and when there is no wind, our bodies’ temperatures remain warm. However, when the wind is present, the breeze blows that warmth away from our bodies. The heat loss makes us feel colder. Not only us, but our furry friends too.
The colder the air temperature, the easier it is for feel like temperatures to near or even dive below zero.
We have seen these frigid conditions to start the month of December, colder than average. Typically, December starts off a bit more mild than what we have experienced so far.
The average temperature for the first three days of December is 33.7 degrees. So far this month in South Bend, the average temperature is 23.3 degrees, as of December 3rd. This is not only 10 degrees below average, but it marks the coldest start to December we have seen in 20 years.
Back in 2005, the average temperature for the first three days was 23.5 degrees, just 0.2 degrees colder. This is a very small difference, but as temperatures continue to trend cold, that margin will expand, increasing our lead for December 2025.
South Bend officially broke a record this morning for the coldest low temperature for December 5th, with a low of two degrees. This beat the previous record of four degrees back in 1899.