East winds.. Why do they blow cold and increase the feeling of coldness during the winter?

Arab Weather - The Kingdom has been affected since Friday morning by moderate to active easterly winds, which have led to a somewhat increased feeling of coldness and an increase in the concentration of dust in the atmosphere with varying degrees of intensity in various regions.

Arab Weather Experts: Eastern winds increase the feeling of cold in winter for several reasons

Experts said that the blowing of easterly winds during the winter is linked to an increased feeling of coldness for several reasons, which can be summarized as follows:

East winds blow from a dry, moisture-free path.

Because the easterly winds blow from east to west, they take a dry continental path (there are no bodies of water in the path taken by the winds), and therefore the winds that reach the region from the east are dry and almost devoid of humidity. Because the relative humidity raises the air temperature, the easterly winds remain cold while blowing from their origin and lead to a decrease in body temperatures.

Land temperature drops during winter

Because the surface temperature of the land decreases during the winter due to the decrease in solar radiation, the winds blowing from the east and with a continental breeze acquire the same temperature as the land and maintain their coolness when they reach the region.

Air temperature index and its relationship to heat stress and the body's ability to sweat

The air temperature index is important, as if the air mass temperature is high and the humidity is high, here heat stress increases due to the inability of the human body to drain sweat, as the body secretes sweat to cool the body if its temperature rises, and as a result of the presence of humidity in the air, the sweat does not evaporate and turns into released energy that increases heat stress on the outer skin and the feeling extends to the inside of the human body.

However, if the air is active and its humidity is low in the winter, as happens when dry easterly winds blow, this leads to an increase in the feeling of coldness, as in the case of cold, dry air, the body’s secretion of sweat is absent or limited according to the activity, and thus sweat does not come out on the human skin, which is a source of heat, and in the presence of cold winds, the feeling of coldness increases.