A breeze feels cooler than still air because moving air carries heat away from skin.

The longer version

Your body constantly warms a thin layer of air next to the skin. In still conditions that layer acts like a blanket and slows further heat loss. Moving air sweeps it away and replaces it with fresh air, so heat leaves the body faster and the skin feels cooler.

Evaporation plays a part too. Sweat turning into vapor draws heat away, and wind speeds that process up by carrying moist air off. The same air temperature can therefore feel quite different depending on whether the air is calm or blowing steadily, which is why wind is built into measures of apparent temperature.

Where this entry sits

Clouds, wind, rain, and storms shape daily life in ways that most people barely notice. This collection explains snow, lightning, rainbows, the turning seasons, temperature, the instruments forecasters rely on, and scraps of old weather lore. The full list sits on the Weather and Climate page, where every entry is listed in order.

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More From Weather and Climate

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Wind is measured with an anemometer, a device with cups that spin in moving air.

Rainfall is measured by collecting water in a gauge and reading the depth in millimeters.

Barometers track air pressure, and a rapid fall often means a storm is coming.

Thermometers measure temperature, usually by how far a liquid expands inside a narrow tube.

Lightning is a huge electric spark that jumps between clouds or toward the ground.

Thunder is the sound of air expanding rapidly after lightning heats it to extreme temperatures.

The gap between a flash and its thunder gives a rough sense of distance.

Rainbows appear when sunlight bends inside raindrops and splits into separate colors.

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