(WPDE) — You’ve heard people say, “It wouldn’t be so cold without the wind,” but did you know there’s some truth to that statement?

This statement unknowingly describes how wind chill affects the body, which is the same process in every mammal (human and animal).

When there is only a very calm wind, the body can mostly stay warm through a process called convection. The body produces heat to keep warm in cold weather, and without wind, most of that heat can stay close to the body. This is not to say that frostbite and hypothermia cannot occur in cold weather and calm winds, it is entirely possible. The convection process slows down this danger.

However, when there is a good breeze in cold weather, this layer of warmer air around the body is disturbed.

While the actual air temperature remains the same regardless of wind speed, when there is wind, people and animals feel colder than the air temperature indicates.

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But regardless of the wind, dangerous cold is still dangerous cold, and the National Weather Service has changed some of its warnings this year to ensure communications are easier to understand.

What was once known as “Wind Chill Advisories,” “Wind Chill Watches,” and “Wind Chill Warnings” has now been renamed “Extreme Cold Advisories,” “Extreme Cold Watches,” and “Extreme Cold Warnings.”

These new warnings include a current wind chill or a calm wind and attempt to distinguish that extreme and dangerously cold temperatures pose a serious threat to humans and wildlife, regardless of whether wind is present or not. In addition, winter hazard communication is often overshadowed by discussions about snow, ice, sleet and winter precipitation. These new warnings and associated new language aim to clarify the severity of dangerous cold conditions without adding other winter weather considerations.

So all in all, it can be said that if it’s freezing temperatures and there’s a light wind outside, you may feel colder because there’s science behind wind chill, but cold is cold and is a danger even when the wind is calm.