Weather Watchers

Ben’s Weather Blog

The coldest air of the season is about ready to pounce on us Sunday through Monday with polar wind chills and single-digit readings—that would dip below zero if we had a snow cover. A snow pack makes a considerable difference, especially at night, regarding temperatures by radiating “heat” from the surface on a fairly clearn night. Some spectacularly low readings have been recorded with fresh snow, including record wintertime lows. After the December snow and ice storm in 2005, we saw lows of -5 to -20 degrees in the region. It is difficult to get below-zero values without a snow cover, if not impossible in the Columbus area.

Wind chill is another matter, though limited to our “skin” temperatures—how the cold and wind feel to us, which will be in the -10 range Sunday evening and overnight. Still, the wind chill does not apply directly to inanimate objects though a cold wind does remove heat from an engine trying to warm up in the driveway.

Hi Ben:

Am driving back to Columbus from the D.C. area. Was originally going to go Tuesday afternoon, but in seeing the forecast at this point, I’m thinking I should try to go 1/2 of the way Monday night, & the other 1/2 Tuesday morning . . . Any advice? I DON’T want to drive in ice!

Thanks!

Jym or Ben, 

I have been watching both of you for years and need your help.  I have lived in Central Ohio since 1962 and I could swear that the wind chill has gotten to -50 F or below in Central Ohio.  I broght this up to my family during our Christmas gathering and they think that I am crazy.  Could you list for me all of the times (if any) the wind chill has every gotten to -50 F or below since 1962 in Central Ohio.

Thanks and hope to be watching you both for many years to come.

Gary Prachar

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