Wind chill is the temperature your body feels when cold air is combined with wind. Even if the thermometer reads, say, 25 degrees, a brisk breeze can make it feel much colder.

That’s because wind strips away the thin layer of warm air your body naturally creates around your skin. Without that protective buffer, heat escapes faster, and your body senses a more intense cold than the actual air temperature.

This effect becomes more noticeable the stronger the wind gets. A light breeze might make the air feel just a few degrees colder, while gusty winds can push the “feels like” temperature into dangerous territory.

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That’s why wind chill advisories are issued: The faster your body loses heat, the faster frostbite and hypothermia can set in. Sometimes hypothermia can happen in just a matter of minutes.

Wind chill is essentially your body’s reminder that sometimes, the air feels much colder than it actually is.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.